Baltic natural gas pipeline was interrupted, NATO warned Moscow: “If a hostile act is made, a strong and decisive response will be given.”

It is not yet known who caused the damage to the natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which has been closed since Sunday after technicians detected a serious leak. But if Russia is behind the damage, as Helsinki suspects, NATO’s response “will be strong and decisive”. Atlantic Alliance Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Baltic Connector gas pipeline, which also includes telecommunication cables, was put into service in 2020 and is considered a strategic infrastructure, especially for Finland, in terms of the security of energy supply in the region, as the connection leads to gas storage. headquarters in Latvia. Initial investigations revealed that the natural gas pipeline was hit by an explosion last Saturday. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the damage to the pipeline was “worrying” but the country’s energy supply and connectivity were not at risk. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement that “the damage to the gas pipeline and communication cable was most likely caused by external activities.”

NATO was immediately warned: Finland had just joined the Alliance, and Russia’s possible accession could pave the way for new crisis scenarios. “If it turns out that a hostile action has been taken against NATO infrastructure, it will be a very serious matter and the response will be strong and decisive,” Stoltenberg assured. Stoltenberg added at the press conference with Zelensky: “President Putin is preparing to use winter as a weapon of war again by attacking the energy system. We must prevent this from happening.”

The Ukrainian president flew to Alliance headquarters to meet defense ministers at a sensitive moment for Kiev: The United States has not renewed its military aid and Europe is scrambling to guarantee arms and ammunition support, which Ukraine considers vital to maintain its military aid. counterattack, especially considering the winter.

“We stand by Ukraine, this is important for all of NATO,” said Stoltenberg, adding, “We must mobilize more support for Ukraine in terms of “air defence, artillery and ammunition” and added, “I expect other allies to declare new support for Ukraine.” . Ukraine today.”

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Source: Today IT

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