Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk floated the idea of a joint security mission between Nordic and Baltic countries during a recent summit between leaders of the region in Sweden.
Tusk acknowledged that the region is passing through geopolitical changes and the countries coasting the Baltic Sea have similar security issues, namely Russia. “We share an assessment of the security situation, including concerns about critical infrastructure around the Baltic Sea. We need new tools and ambitious tools to counteract threats,” said Tusk.
The Prime Minister also added that countries in the Baltic area have a similar vision and that helps in creating cooperation: “It is something rare and very valuable that there is such visible solidarity and a common way of thinking among us.
According to him, his idea was positively received by his peers: “I am very pleased that my colleagues found it interesting, and we will continue to work out the details. But I am convinced, also because of our plans, to invest more in the Baltic Sea.”
Current Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas and the incumbent Dovilė Šakalienė both publicly supported the idea to local Lithuanian reporters. Both hoped for the mission to be conducted under the NATO banner.
“Under the NATO flag, the mission would be even stronger and more effective. Of course, we’d then want solidarity from all allies, not just those in our region,” said Šakalienė.
Tusk also spoke about NATO and the European Union and how crucial is for the whole bloc and not only the Baltic region to have stability.
“It is also important for me to strengthen our cooperation with all the countries present here, in terms of the fortification system or other installations on the eastern border of NATO and the EU,” he said.
Poland is at the frontier of both NATO and the EU and for Tusk the country is already in a good position to defend the borders without the need to invest more:
“It will be hard for me to say that I am ready to spend more than today on our security. Today we spend 4.2%, next year we will spend 4.7% of GDP. That is probably more than anyone.” However, he recognised that more tools are needed for his proposal and Tusk wants to talk about it also outside of the Nordic and Baltic leaders, saying that “my intention is to convince not this group, but other EU partners, to prepare more tools, more financial resources for this project.”
“Today, the Scandinavian countries, the Baltic countries and Poland have a common position on all issues related to security, Russian aggression, support for Ukraine, as well as an active presence in NATO,” Tusk posted on X.
