Lithuanian officials have been making public statements recently suggesting a possible rapprochement in relations with neighbouring Belarus, only to retract their remarks afterwards, LRT reports. Observers say that the comments may be an attempt to test whether Lithuanian public opinion on Belarus is changing. Officials have suggested opening talks with Belarus and easing sanctions imposed…
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene criticised the previous government’s decision to allow Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius, BNS reports. She said that Lithuania “jumped in front of the train and lost” when it allowed Taiwan to open the representative office without coordinating the move with the EU and the US. Ruginiene…
Estonian President Alar Karis and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina back an idea to appoint a special EU envoy for talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine, Euronews reports. Speaking in interviews at the World Governments Summit in the UAE, both Karis and Silina said that any communication with Russia should be conducted…
The US Congress has approved USD 200mn in security assistance to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania under the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) in 2026, ERR reports. BSI supports the independent defence capabilities and interoperability of the Baltic States. In addition, the US has allocated defence aid to the Baltic States under the Department of State’s Foreign…
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, arrived on a two-day working visit to Latvia on 2 February 2026, LSM reported. Ablakwa said that the immediate reason for his visit was to discuss the circumstances surrounding the death of an 18-year-old Ghanaian student in Riga in June 2025, GhanaWeb reported. Also, Ablakwa informed his Latvian counterpart,…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned of “risks associated with overly close engagement with the Chinese regime,” BNS reported. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Nauseda said that Lithuania “did not take pleasure” in the current rupture of diplomatic ties with China, but noted that restoring relations would require goodwill from both sides. He compared…
The new US ambassador to Latvia, Melissa Argyros, is expected to assume her diplomatic post in Riga in February 2026, Baltic News Network reports. She will replace the current US ambassador, Christopher Robinson. Argyros is a California-based real estate investor, holding several senior positions in the family’s real estate company, Arnel & Affiliates, the Argyros…
Estonian President Alar Karis has appointed Kristjan Prikk as the country’s new ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ERR reports. Prikk, who has served as Estonia’s ambassador to the US since 2021, will replace Estonia’s current NATO ambassador, Jüri Luik, as of August 2026. Previously, Prikk served in various defence-related diplomatic posts. He…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda pledged to push for the EU to extend sanctions imposed against Belarus, BNS reports. He pointed to the Belarusian regime’s continued alignment with Russia, repression of political opponents, and repeated hybrid attacks against Lithuania. EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius agreed that there was no reason for the EU to remove the…
