Finland in talks with Scandinavian neighbors over Baltic Sea gas leaks

By Jo Harper

LAPPEENRANTA, Finland (AA) – Finland is in urgent talks with four Baltic countries about the Nord Stream gas pipeline leak, the country’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

“We have been in calls with four Baltic Sea region governments this morning. These are very acute topics and a joint EU strategy has an even more important role than ever,” Pekka Haavisto told an EU Commission conference on the Baltic Sea region in the eastern Finnish town of Lappeenranta, 30 kilometers (18. 6 miles) from the Russian border.

Explosions around the Nord Stream pipelines were reported this week.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen called the leaks “sabotage,” while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said they were “deliberate acts.” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the leaks “probably mark the next step of escalation of the situation in Ukraine.”

“Was it sabotage? We don’t know, but it shows how vulnerable we are. Cutting pipelines or electricity connections reminds us what kind of world we are living in. We need a new type of thinking,” Haavisto said.

“We are in a completely new reality and perceptions of Russia have been transformed. Russia is blatantly breaking international law and its dangerous rhetoric about nuclear weapons is unacceptable. Russia must be held accountable,” he urged.