German foreign minister stresses unity before Baltic defence meeting

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday stressed the importance of cooperation among states bordering the Baltic Sea in light of the hybrid threat emanating from Russia, as she headed for a meeting with regional counterparts.

Ministers from the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8), along with counterparts from Germany, Poland, and France, are due to meet on Denmark's Bornholm island to discuss security and cooperation in the Baltic Sea.

"We will further increase security in the Baltic Sea region through increased NATO patrols, closer exchange of information and joint exercises," Baerbock said ahead of the meeting later on Monday.

Bornholm is a Baltic island of 40,000 residents located 160 kilometres south-east of Copenhagen.

Baerbock said that on Bornholm, it was evident how the Baltic Sea connects people, economies and democracies more closely than anywhere else.

However, she added, the hybrid threat posed by Russia is also becoming particularly noticeable, noting recent cuts to submarine cables and power lines, incidents that have been widely attributed to Russia's so-called shadow fleet of vessels used to circumvent sanctions.

The Russian shadow fleet is "not only filling the Russian war chest, but is also jeopardizing safety and the environment in the North and Baltic Seas," Baerbock warned.

"The incidents show that our open and interconnected societies, our communication channels and our critical infrastructure are vulnerable and that we must protect them together," the minister said.

Together, the regional partners will ensure that the sanctions against Russia are enforced and that the Russian shadow fleet is pushed back, she added.