I and my colleagues from the Baltic Sea region have warned time and again of the threat of this scenario. Russia is jeopardising our European security not only with its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine but also with severed cables, displaced border buoys, disinformation campaigns, GPS radio jammers and now also with dilapidated oil tankers. With his contemptible use of a fleet of rusty tankers, Putin is not only avoiding sanctions but also willingly accepting the possibility that tourism along the Baltic Sea will come to a standstill, whether in the Baltic region, in Poland or here in Germany. It is part of Russia’s plan to accept the possibility of such consequences. Whoever turns a blind eye to this threat acts as irresponsibly as those who portrayed NordStream 2 as a purely economic project.

That is precisely why we, together with our partners, have consistently pushed for the inclusion of the Russian shadow fleet on the list of sanctions. We have worked to bring about the imposition of sanctions already on more than 70 ships by the EU. Europe is strong. And we stand shoulder to shoulder – as Allies on the Baltic coast, as the EU and as NATO.