When European countries in the Baltic Sea region joined Nato for protection against Russia, they were not anticipating their most powerful Nato ally would be the one threatening to seize territory from them. The shock of the Greenland crisis may have faded from the headlines, but Donald Trump’s US has also suggested it may decide not to defend Europe. And Russia continues to be a nuisance in the Baltic Sea.

Luckily, the vulnerable Baltic nations have launched an impressive string of initiatives to keep their mini-ocean safe. As the US sheds responsibility for Europe’s defence, these efforts could provide a model for the future of Nato itself.

Finland announced in January that it would team up with other Baltic Sea countries to create a maritime surveillance centre. Finland sees it as a way to increase capability and authority to intervene in “situations” in its territorial sea and exclusive economic zone. It’s a sensible measure.

And it’s not the only one. When the two Nord Stream pipelines exploded in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark in September 2022, it took the region by complete surprise. To be sure, a few prophetic voices had been warning for years that undersea cables and pipelines were vulnerable to sabotage, but with virtually no suspicious incidents jeopardising this invaluable infrastructure, complacency set in. Then came the sabotage of Nord Stream, followed by the arrival of the........

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