Lithuania: Social Democrats confirm party chairman
The party congress of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP) has confirmed the election…
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Welcome to Via Baltica, your “information superhighway” for news from the three Baltic tigers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania! Our founder and editor-in-chief is Kerkko Paananen, senior news analyst with more than two decades of professional expertise in covering and reporting on current affairs in the Baltic States. We aim to do one thing well:…
Lithuania: Social Democrats confirm party chairman
The party congress of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP) has confirmed the election of Mindaugas Sinkevicius as the party’s chairman until 2029, LRT reports. He was the only candidate for the post, receiving 503 votes out of 535. Sinkevicius has led LSDP since August 2025 after the party’s previous chairman, MP Gintautas Paluckas,…
Latvia: Artists protest Russia at Venice Biennale
Latvian artists have launched a protest campaign against Russia’s participation in the Venice Biennale arts exhibition in Italy, Ukrainska Pravda reports. The campaign, “Death in Venice”, was organised by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LLMC) together with the Latvian national pavilion at the exhibition. The Latvian artists stressed that institutional neutrality in relation to…
Estonia: Populist opposition party names founder for president
Estonia’s populist opposition party, the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE), has nominated its founder and former chairman, Mart Helme, as its presidential candidate, ERR reports. Helme said that his key concepts were “nation, family, and home.” Were he to be elected president, Helme said that his first task would be to “restore constitutional order…
Baltic: US delays weapons deliveries to Estonia, Lithuania
The US has warned European allies, including Estonia and Lithuania, of long delays in the delivery of US weapons due to the Iran war, the Financial Times reports. Reuters reported on the delays earlier. The US Department of Defence told to expect serious delays for several missile systems, including HIMARS and NASAMS used by Estonia…
Lithuania: Russian assassination plot foiled
Officials in Lithuania have arrested nine individuals accused of plotting murders and sabotage across Europe for Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU, The New York Times reports. Authorities said that the GRU-affiliated network had targeted several people who had supported Ukraine or worked against Russia. The network included citizens of Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia,…
Latvia: Russia may attack NATO before 2030: defence chief
If the war in Ukraine comes to a halt, Russia may have a window of opportunity to attack NATO countries in 2027-2029, according to Kaspars Pudans, commander-in-chief of the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), Nasha Niva reports. Speaking in an interview with Deutsche Welle, Pudans said that the most probable scenario was that Russia would…
Estonia: GDP up 1.3% in Q1/2026: flash estimate
Estonia’s GDP rose by 1.3% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the same period of 2025, according to Statistics Estonia’s flash estimate, BNS reported. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, seasonally and working-day adjusted GDP rose by 0.6%. Robert Müürsepp, national accounts service manager at Statistics Estonia, noted that there were several…
Baltic: Nordic, Baltic ministers back Ukraine’s EU, NATO entry
Ukraine “firmly anchored in the European family is in the interest of European security and essential for Europe’s future as a geopolitical power and economic actor,” the foreign ministers of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries stated, ERR reports. Following their two-day meeting in Estonia’s Kuressaare on 29-30 April 2026, the ministers expressed support for Ukraine’s…
Estonia: Foreign Ministry fails to look ahead: President
Estonia’s Foreign Ministry lacks the ability to look ahead, President Alar Karis stated, ERR reports. Speaking in an interview with regional daily Lääne Elu, Karis noted that once the war in Ukraine ends, the question will arise whether Estonia still has friends left. Estonia therefore needs “the strength to look a bit further,” he said….