The North Atlantic Alliance views the Baltic and Black Seas as zones of responsibility and is ready to respond “devastatingly” to any “contingency,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a briefing ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers.
Rutte was responding to a question about rising tensions in the Baltic region following incidents involving damaged undersea communication cables and increased concern over tankers considered by the West to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet.
“As for the Baltic region—though the same applies to the Black Sea and other NATO regions—undersea infrastructure there is under constant threat,” said the NATO chief.