STOCKHOLM (AP) – Sweden will contribute three warships to NATO’s effort to expand the alliance’s presence in the Baltic Sea as it tries to monitor the destruction of underwater infrastructure, the government said Sunday.
The Swedish military will also donate an ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, the government said in a statement. And the country’s coast guard will contribute four ships to help patrol the Baltic, with seven more ships on standby.
Sweden became the 32nd member of the Western military alliance in March. It followed neighboring Finland into NATO after Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine. The government said it would be the first time that Sweden, as a NATO ally, would contribute troops to the defense and defense of the alliance.
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The decision comes as a series of incidents in the Baltic have raised concerns about Russia’s activities in the region.
Undersea cables and transoceanic pipelines connect the Nordic, Baltic and central European countries, promoting trade, energy security and, in some cases, reducing dependence on Russian energy sources.
Ten Baltic Sea cables have been damaged since 2023, affecting Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Germany and Lithuania. At least two incidents involving ships were later accused of dragging their anchors.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at the annual security conference on Sunday that Sweden is not at war, but there is no peace either, Swedish news agency TT reported.
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