Quotes
From our side we are investigating grave sabotage...According to our understanding, an anchor of the vessel that is under investigation has caused the damage."
Robin Lardot, director of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, told reporters after the undersea cable damage was announced
NATO stands in solidarity with Allies and condemns any attacks on critical infrastructure,
he said in a post on X on Friday
Finland has a strong capacity to respond to situations like this."
But, offering words of reassurance, he saidHad it kept going anchor on the seabed, more damage would have occurred,
Stubb said
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We have agreed with Estonia, and we have also communicated to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, that our wish is to have a stronger NATO presence,
Finnish President Alexander Stubb told a press conferenceThree cases in one year cannot be a coincidence,
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a press conference on Friday
Not just with Finland, but with all of our allies, really. The Finns are discussing this today, and I believe they will join us. Additionally, we agreed yesterday that NATO will engage on a military level,
he said.jpg)
I expressed my full solidarity and support. NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea."
Rutte
We've got the situation under control, and we have to continue to work together vigilantly to make sure that our critical infrastructure is not damaged by outsiders."
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on FridayWe are following investigations by Estonia and Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support.”
The alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte posted on his X account
The Baltic sea states have been steadily taking more decisive measures against cable cutting,
Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, told Al JazeeraThe assumption at the moment is that it is a shadow fleet vessel and the cargo was unleaded petrol loaded in a Russian port,
said Sami Rakshit, the director general of Finnish customs
The damages to critical underwater infrastructure have become so frequent that it’s hard to believe they are accidents or just bad maritime manoeuvres.”
Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, said on Thursday.jpg)
I can't say anything precise here, this is a very narrow-profile issue which is hardly the prerogative of the [Russian] presidential administration."
When asked about Finland's investigation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said
If there is a threat to the critical undersea infrastructure in our region, there will also be a response,
Tsahkna said on social media X
The suspected vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget. We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet,
the statement said
We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe’s critical infrastructure,
it added
We commend the Finnish authorities for their swift action in boarding the suspected vessel. We are working with the Finnish authorities on the ongoing investigation,
the European Commission and the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said
In 2021, the current president Biden offered exactly that: push back Ukraine’s Nato membership by 10 to 15 years, because it was not yet ready,
he claimed at a press conference on ThursdayEverything is a result of [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin and Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and its financing with the shadow fleet,
Orpo said