Latvia: Russia not ready for peace: President, Foreign Minister

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics expressed doubts about Russia’s readiness for peace in Ukraine, LETA reported. Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Evika Silina, Rinkevics said that Latvia fully supported both security guarantees for Ukraine and efforts to achieve peace. He noted that the positions of the United States, Europe, and Ukraine were…

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Estonia: Foreign Ministry denies change on Israel, Palestine policy

Estonia’s Foreign Ministry denied any change in the country’s Middle East policy after Estonia voted for a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, ERR reported. Earlier, several former foreign ministers and MPs suggested that Estonia’s recent UN votes on Palestine implied a shift in Estonia’s foreign policy. The Foreign Ministry’s secretary…

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Latvia: Transport Minister calls for EU ban on Russian, Belarusian grain

The EU should ban the import and transit of grain from Russia and Belarus, Latvia’s Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens stated, LSM reports. He urged the Baltic States to adopt a joint position on the issue, whereas Latvia’s state-owned rail operator, LDz Cargo, insisted on the need for a common EU stance. When Estonia’s state-owned rail…

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Lithuania: Vilnius University fires Russian professor who denied Soviet occupation

Lithuania’s Vilnius University has dismissed Russian professor Andrey Desnitsky, who earlier denied the occupation of the Baltic States, LRT reports. Professor Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, dean of Vilnius University’s Faculty of Philology, said that Desnitsky, who had been working as a researcher and lecturer at the university since autumn 2022, had earlier written publications in which he…

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Estonia: Estonian nation needs “more clarity, less noise”: Pres. Karis

The Estonian nation has never been extinguished despite having once lost independence through occupation and oppression, Estonia’s President, Alar Karis, stated, ERR reports. Speaking on Estonia’s 32nd Independence Restoration Day, Karis said that the Estonian state was founded on “liberty, justice, and the rule of law,” in that order. He said that freedom constituted the…

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