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,…
Estonian authorities have boarded and detained a Bahamian-flagged container ship suspected of smuggling, the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA) announced, ERR reports. Officials stopped the vessel, Baltic Spirit, off the island of Naissaar in Estonia’s internal waters. The ship, with an all-Russian crew, was en route from Ecuador to Saint Petersburg in Russia. The vessel…
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…
Russia continued to pose the most significant threat to Latvia’s national security in 2025, according to the State Security Service’s (VDD) new report, BNS reports. VDD pointed to Russia’s actions to damage infrastructure, aggressive intelligence activities, and psychological operations to influence public opinion in Latvia. VDD expects Russia to continue its “intensive, systematic, and aggressive…
A member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) died while on duty near the Latvian capital, Riga, on 29 January 2026, LSM reported. Gunner Sebastian Halmagean was deployed in Latvia as part of a Canadian-led NATO brigade. He had served in the CAF for almost three years, and this was his first overseas deployment.
The Estonian government is still considering countermeasures in response to an incursion of Russian border guards into Estonian territory in December 2025, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated, ERR reports. Russia continues to deny the illegal intrusion at the Vasknarva breakwater, ERR reports. Possible measures under discussion include closing individual border crossing points or applying…
The defence ministers of the three Baltic States have signed a letter of intent on establishing a Baltic Military Mobility Area, LSM reports. The aim is to standardise border crossing procedures, coordinate the movement of military cargo, and ensure operational information exchange. Furthermore, the Baltic allies will work to align their military movement procedures with…