NATO’s summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, was “truly historic,” Lithuania’s former chief of defence, Lieutenant General Valdas Tutkus, stated, Baltic News Network reports. He noted that the Baltic States received new security guarantees. Tutkus cautioned that the most “populist” demands could, if things went awry, lead to another world war. He argued that not…
The Estonian government wants to bring forward Estonia’s EU presidency, now slated for 2031, BNS reports. The government argues that organising the EU presidency would be difficult as Estonia will hold parliamentary elections that year. Estonia is due to preside over the EU Council for the first half of 2031. The government suggests switching the…
Following Latvia’s initiative, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) has declared Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, Baltic News Network reports. Also, the declaration sharply condemns Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and urges OSCE member states to support the creation of a special tribunal to investigate…
Ukraine’s future is in NATO, and the country will join the defence alliance, Latvia’s Prime Minister, Krisjanis Karins, stated, Baltic News Network reports. Speaking at the opening of the newly-formed NATO-Ukraine Council, Karins said that the longer Russia continued the war in Ukraine, the more united NATO would become. He said that there were two…
South Korea will open an embassy in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced, Yonhap reports. Lithuania opened an embassy in Seoul in 2021. Yoon met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on 12 July 2023 on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius. Yoon called for expanding cooperation with Lithuania, particularly…
Parties in Latvia’s Riga City Council are still at odds with each other, acting mayor Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity) admitted, LETA reports. Following a meeting between New Unity and the combined faction of Movement For and the Progressives (PP), Kirsis said that “the spirit of compromise and cooperation had yet to be born on a…
Latvia’s new president, Edgars Rinkevics, is “more people-oriented” than his predecessor, Egils Levits, Juris Rozenvalds, head of the Social and Political Studies Institute at the University of Latvia, said, LETA reports. Rozenvalds pointed out that Rinkevics had a sense of humour and was not as “preachy” as Levits. He noted that Rinkevics is popular among…
Russian President Vladimir Putin was wrong when he thought that the war in Ukraine would break NATO unity, US President Joe Biden said in a speech at Lithuania’s Vilnius University on 12 July 2023, LETA reports. “Putin thought that democratic leaders would be weak, but he thought wrong,” Biden stated. He assured that the US…
Estonia does not need a permanent NATO brigade, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur stated, ERR reports. He noted that Estonia already has more than 2,000 allied troops permanently stationed in the country. Estonian society would not be prepared for the construction of another large military training area in the country, he argued. Also, an additional deployment…