United in defence: US and Baltics counter Russian provocations

The United States stands in solidarity with the Baltic countries in response to Russia's provocations. "Russia is now sowing confusion on NATO/EU borders," wrote State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller. He added that the United States calls on Russia to explain its actions.

"Russia is now sowing confusion on NATO/EU borders. We stand in solidarity with our Allies in the Baltic states and Baltic Sea in the face of recent provocations and call on Russia to explain its actions. We are watching the situation closely with our Allies," wrote State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller.

On Wednesday, Russia, without consulting the authorities of Finland and Lithuania, decided to change the course of the border with these countries in the Baltic Sea, Radio Liberty reported, referring to a draft resolution of the Russian government.

According to the document from the Ministry of Defence, the correction concerns maritime borders in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, as well as near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region, in the areas of the Vistula Spit and the Curonian Spit. The resolution's proponents — submitted by the Russian ministry — argued that the existing course of these borders, valid since 1985, does not fully correspond to the "modern geographical situations."

Moscow's proposed changes were met with reactions from the authorities of Finland, Lithuania, and Germany, which called on Russia to comply with international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

At dawn on Thursday, Estonian border guards discovered that Russian officers removed 24 buoys — reported Delfi.

Russia earlier announced that it would not agree to deploy about half of the planned 250 markers this year. Estonia was installing them in its waters based on the Act on State Border and locations agreed with Moscow in 2022.

Eerika Purgela, head of the Eastern Prefecture Border Guard Office, said that Estonia and Russia install buoys on the Narva River every spring to mark shipping lanes.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commented on the incident at the Russian-Estonian border. "NATO stands in solidarity with our Ally Estonia against any threat to their sovereignty," Stoltenberg wrote.

Borrell shared the assessment of the Estonian authorities, considering the incident part of a broader pattern of provocative Russian actions. — He noted that "this border incident is part of a broader pattern of provocative behaviour and hybrid actions by Russia, including on its maritime and land borders in the Baltic Sea region."

Borrell emphasized that the European Union has closely monitored the situation, maintaining a spirit of cooperation and solidarity with Estonia and other member states. "The European Union expects an explanation by Russia about the removal of the buoys and their immediate return," he stated.

The President and Prime Minister of Finland, Alexander Stubb and Petteri Orpo expressed their position on reports of Russia's plans for a unilateral change of borders in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. "Finland will proceed as always: calmly and based on facts", they declared. Experts say it cannot be regarded as a provocation or hybrid operation.

Berlin also reacted to reports about Russian plans for a unilateral border change in the Baltic. A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry stated that the German government had noted the media reports on the proposed Russian border change in the Baltic Sea. German politicians had observed the situation very carefully. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the "proposal was deleted on Wednesday from the official portal where it had been posted."