The London-led coalition begins maneuvers in the Baltic Sea
A UK-led coalition launched naval maneuvers in the Baltic Sea on Friday in Copenhagen to show the unity of the West against Russia. The exercise was announced before the invasion of Ukraine by the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) to “demonstrate freedom of movement” of the ten northern European nations that make it up.
“We are worried that a new Cold War and a new Iron Curtain will fall on Europe,” said British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace aboard the Danish frigate Niels Juel. With a Swedish escort, it is to escort 200 Danish troops to Estonia as part of NATO’s efforts to strengthen its flank against Russia.
The operation, whose other details have not been released, sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “that we are all together, whether we are members of NATO or not, side by side with our common values,” Wallace said.
Founded in 2012, the JEF brings together eight NATO members (the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia and Lithuania), as well as Sweden and Finland, which are not in the Western Alliance. It focuses on protecting the Arctic, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.