Northern European nations pledge to step up protection of undersea, offshore infrastructure

By ALEKSANDAR FURTULA and MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

AMSTERDAM (AP) — An alliance of northern European nations has pledged to do more to protect critical undersea and offshore infrastructure in the face of shared challenges. They said one of those challenges is Russian ships conducting alleged mapping that indicates “preparations for possible disruption and, at worst, sabotage.” Defense ministers from the 10-nation Joint Expeditionary Force issued the statement after meeting Tuesday in Amsterdam. Worries that energy and communications infrastructure could be targeted have soared since explosions on two Baltic Sea gas pipelines in September. The Dutch and British defense ministers declined to comment on reports by Dutch and German media that the CIA warned Ukraine in June 2022 not to sabotage the Nord Stream pipelines.