Russia has issued arrest warrants against Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Deutsche Welle reports. This is the first time that Russia has opened a criminal case against an acting foreign head of government. The Russian Interior Ministry’s full database of wanted people, which was leaked to independent Russian media outlet Mediazona, indicated that Kallas and…
The speakers of the parliaments of the three Baltic States visited Canada and the US to discuss regional security issues and cooperation, BNS reported. They met with with the speaker of Canada’s House of Commons, Greg Fergus, and members of the Canada-Nordic-Baltic Parliamentary Friendship Group. In the US, the Baltic speakers met with the speaker…
The EU has suspended its dispute proceedings at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China’s trade embargo against Lithuania, Politico reported. A spokesman for the European Commission said that the move was a “procedural step” related to the preparation of written submissions. The case will be closed altogether if the suspension lasts longer than 12…
A delegation of 11 members of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, will visit Taiwan on 20-27 January 2024, BNS reports. Freedom Party MP Vytautas Mitalas said that the Lithuanian delegation would be the first to meet with Taiwan’s newly elected president, William Lai. Mitalas noted that the visit would help bring Lithuania and Taiwan closer. Meanwhile,…
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, has awarded German foreign and security policy experts Jessica Berlin and Benjamin Tallis as well as Finnish anti-disinformation expert Pekka Kallioniemi with the Order of the Star of Lithuanian Diplomacy, ELTA reports. Berlin is founder of the strategic consulting company, CoStruct, while Tallis is analyst at the German Council on…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that there was “nothing personal” in his decision not to invite Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Palace on 10 January 2024, BNS reports. He said that the meeting focused on military aid and defence industry cooperation, and that Defence Minister…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has concluded a two-day official visit to the three Baltic States. At a press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Zelensky said that his visit underscored the “shared trust” between nations in Russia’s neighbourhood, BNS reported. Speaking to a large crowd outside the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, Zelensky said that Russia…
Russia will close the Ivangorod checkpoint on the border with Estonia to road traffic as of 1 February 2024, ERR reports. Russia said that the move was due to “renovation work,” which will last until late 2025. Estonia has sent Russia a diplomatic note over the decision. The border crossing between Ivangorod and Estonia’s city…
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis expressed deep concerns about the West’s approach to Russian aggression against Ukraine, Euromaidan Press reported. In a Twitter thread, he warned against repeating historical mistakes and called for immediate action, urging the international community not to wait for a “Pearl Harbor effect.” Landsbergis criticised the 25-year attempt to contain Russian…