US officials have pressured Lithuania to allow exports of EU-sanctioned Belarusian potash fertilisers via the port of Klaipeda, Politico reports. European officials said that the US special envoy to Belarus, John Coale, has been lobbying Lithuanian authorities on all levels about the issue for more than a year. US officials have also raised the possibility…
US defence officials urged the Baltic States to tone down their rhetoric on the threat posed by Russia, arguing that some statements had undermined European security, Reuters reported. One of the US officials was Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of Defence for Policy at the US Defence Department, who insisted on not “poking” Russia. He pointed…
Lithuania should resume discussion on the possibility of building a metro system in Vilnius, Vaidas Augustinavicius, chief economic and social policy adviser to President Gitanas Nauseda, said, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Augustinavicius argued that the project should be reassessed given the new geopolitical context. He suggested that the underground metro…
Estonian President Ülle Madise has appointed Paavo Nõgene as director of the Office of the President, ERR reports. Previously, Nõgene served as secretary general of the Ministry of Culture and CEO of the Estonian shipping company, Tallink. Earlier, Rainer Saks joined Madise’s team as her defence and national security adviser, ERR reported. Saks is a member…
The European Muslim League (EML) has expressed concern over anti-Muslim incidents in Lithuania, BNS reports. EML pointed to the possible public burning of a Quran in Vilnius and the disruption of Muslim prayer near a mosque in Kaunas. Mufti Aleksandras Beganskas, head of the Council of Muslim Religious Communities of Lithuania (LRMBT), cited threats to…
A recent cyberattack against Latvia’s Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) breached the data of as many as 1.2 million people and around 200,000 companies, LETA reported. Latvia’s population totals a little over 1.8 million people, LSM noted. The attackers obtained personal and company data contained in payment receipts dating back to 2008. The compromised information…
Political parties in Lithuania are discussing the possibility of signing a new cross-party agreement on national defence, LRT reports. Opposition parties are pushing for a commitment to maintain defence spending above 5% of GDP after 2030. However, the ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP) insists that there is no need for such an agreement….
Russia may have targeted Lithuania’s embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in a missile attack on 1 August 2026, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys stated, LRT reports. He said that Lithuania could not rule out the possibility that the attack, which damaged the embassy, was deliberate, pointing out that there were almost no strategic facilities near…
Latvia has closed its border with Belarus for “technical reasons,” Interior Minister Janis Dombrava announced late on 31 July 2026, LSM reports. A day earlier, Dombrava urged Latvian residents not to travel across the border to or from Belarus. Kristine Petersone, spokesperson for Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS), said that the border was closed due…
