With its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has not only turned its back on international law but also damaged the fabric of cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. The Russian aggression means that the members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States face greater challenges than ever before in the 31 years of the organisation’s existence, because security in the Baltic Sea region depends on far more than the mere presence of naval and air forces in and above the Baltic Sea. Also of relevance are civil navigation and trade routes, the continued presence of munitions from the World Wars, the strength and resilience of our societies and, last but not least, our efforts to generate huge amounts of renewable energy offshore and push ahead with the expansion of wind farms. Renewable energy makes us independent of energy imports. It is our trump card in combatting the climate crisis. In Wismar, I will discuss with my counterparts in the Council of Baltic Sea States how, as close partners with shared values, we can best pursue these goals together, how we can foil attempts from Russia to divide us and how we can protect the Baltic Sea habitat for future generations, for our children and grandchildren.