Lithuania needs around €34 million in EU funds to secure its critical cables running along the Baltic seabed, the country’s prime minister has said.
Tensions are high in the Baltic region after recent incidents in which undersea power and telecommunication cables were damaged.
European leaders have accused Moscow of orchestrating attacks on the seabed infrastructure, describing them as part of a broader Russian hybrid warfare strategy against Western nations.
Lithuanian officials say that since October 2023, at least 11 cables in the Baltic have been damaged.
In response, NATO launched the Baltic Sentry surveillance mission in January to prevent further attacks on infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
On Monday, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said securing Baltic Sea cables would require “around €32-34 million from the Lithuanian side alone, based on the situation we have today.”
“We can finance these things for a certain period with our own money if we're later able to cover or recover it from European funds.”
He called for “a political decision as soon as possible,” adding: “Whoever causes the damage must also cover it – of course, this involves a lengthy process of proving it.”
