NATO promises to defend the Baltic Pipe and takes a jab at China for supporting Russia. It will also give Ukraine the tools to defend the energy sector from attacks – writes Wojciech Jakóbik, editor-in-chief at BiznesAlert.pl.
- NATO has made the greatest effort to strengthen the collective defence of this generation. Among these actions is the strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank, as well as better protection of critical underwater infrastructure.
- Such maritime infrastructure in the case of Poland is, for example, the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline stretching from deposits in Norway through Denmark to our territory.
- NATO and the European Union must act across borders to protect infrastructure of this kind, and the declaration from Washington underlines the importance of such action – says Wojciech Jakóbik.
NATO’s Washington summit declaration includes provisions to protect critical undersea infrastructure like the Baltic Pipe and blames China for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) adopted the declaration at the summit in Washington on July 9-11. NATO has made the greatest effort to strengthen the collective defence of this generation. Among these actions is strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, as well as better protection of critical underwater infrastructure (CUI), including „strengthening deterrence, detection and response capabilities, also through the further development of the NATO CUI Security Centre at Northwood near London opened in May 2024. Such maritime infrastructure in the case of Poland is, for example, the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline stretching from deposits in Norway through Denmark to our territory. NATO and the European Union must work across borders to protect infrastructure of this kind, and the Washington Declaration underlines the importance of doing so.
But that’s not all. The Middle Kingdom has been a big topic during the summit. „China has become a key enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its so – called borderless partnership and support for Russia’s large-scale defense industrial base,” NATO said in a statement. The Alliance calls on China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council with particular responsibility for defending the purposes and values of the UN Charter, to halt material and political support for Russia’s war effort. At the same time, NATO acknowledges that China poses systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic security, including through cyberattacks, hybrid activities, and disinformation. These measures may also affect the European energy sector. It is worth mentioning speculation about the possibility of using energy infrastructure or electric cars with components from China for hostile actions against the West.
NATO is also committed to ensuring a secure, resilient and sustainable supply of energy, including fuel, to its armed forces. „NATO and its allies are adapting to the energy transition in a coherent and coordinated way. By adapting the Alliance to the transformation, we will ensure the capabilities, efficiency and interoperability,” declares the Alliance.
The NATO summit in Washington took place between 9 and July 11, and included talks with Ukraine. NATO will transfer USD 40 billion in aid to Ukraine. The U.S. says it will hand over more air defense systems to help Ukraine protect its energy sector from attacks and rebuild damaged power plants and transmission networks. The protection of critical infrastructure of NATO and its partners, such as Ukraine, is becoming one of the priorities of the Alliance in the face of the invasion of Russia, supported, among others, by China. Poland should be heavily involved in the work of the new centre in London.