Latvia: PM proposes referendum on Istanbul Convention

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs suggested holding a consultative popular referendum on Latvia’s possible withdrawal from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on violence against women, LETA reports. Kulbergs said that the ruling United List had discussed the idea of a legally non-binding referendum on the question with President Edgars Rinkevics. Kulbergs said that referendum…

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Lithuania: Russian arson attempt at Starlink storage

Russia was likely responsible for an arson incident at a storage facility for satellite communications equipment in Lithuania on 18 October 2026, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius announced, LRT reports. He said that incendiary liquids and containers were found at the facility, which stored satellite antennas and a control unit for Starlink equipment. Vilmantas Vitkauskas,…

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Latvia: New railway line to Riga Airport to be built

Latvia’s state-owned railway company, Latvijas Dzelzcels (LDz), has signed an agreement with the Finance Ministry’s Central Finance and Contracts Agency (CFLA) on a project to build a new railway line to Riga International Airport, LSM reports. Under the contract, LDz and state-owned Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas (EDZL) plan to build a new branch line from the…

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Baltic: Leaders urge EU ban on Russian grain

The Baltic States called on the EU to ban transit shipments of Russian grain through EU territory, BNS reported. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda made the call in a joint letter to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen….

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Lithuania: PM hopes for progress on restoring ties with China

Lithuania expects progress on restoring full diplomatic ties with communist China by the end of 2026, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius announced, BNS reported. He explained that the government had prepared an action plan with specific steps and deadlines for restoring diplomatic representation with China. He said that the government was pursuing improved relations without public…

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Baltic: Leaders criticise US-Russian diesel deal

Baltic leaders criticised the US-Russian agreement on Russian diesel fuel supplies. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that the agreement was a “major miscalculation,” warning that “deals with dictators are a road to hell,” ERR reported. He insisted that Russian revenues must be stopped and urged the EU to help Ukraine “blast Russia’s oil refineries…

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Lithuania: Military deployed to Kaliningrad border

Lithuania’s Interior Minister, Martynas Katelynas, has asked Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas to deploy troops to the country’s border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region, BNS reports. Katelynas said that the troop deployment was a preventive measure in response to an armed incident on Latvia’s border with Belarus. Speaking in an interview with Die Welt, Prime Minister Mindaugas…

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