Baltic: Regional parliament speakers to discuss helping Ukraine, Russian sabotage

Speakers of the parliaments of six countries bordering Russia will meet in the southern Estonian city of Tartu on 3 February 2025 to discuss further support for Ukraine and legislative means to counter Russia’s hybrid warfare, LSM reports. The parliamentary speakers will also discuss relations with the US and the situation in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia,…

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Lithuania: President warns against “quick agreement” on Ukraine war

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda expressed scepticism about attempts to end the war in Ukraine with a “quick agreement,” BNS reported. Speaking after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Nauseda said that he did not believe that a quick ceasefire would lead to sustainable peace. Instead, it could amount to a “moral defeat” for…

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Estonia: New law may ban Moscow-led Estonian Orthodox Church

Estonia’s Ministry of Interior expects the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK) to leave the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church before summer 2025, ERR reports. Earlier, the ministry submitted a draft legislative amendment to the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, which would ban religious associations directed by countries that threaten Estonia’s public order,…

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Lithuania: President expects coalition government to collapse

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda does not expect the country’s three-party coalition government to survive, BNS reports. Earlier, Remigijus Zemaitaitis, chairman of the far-right Dawn of Nemunas party, expressed doubts about raising defence spending and labelled Ukraine a corrupt country, LRT reported. Speaking in an interview with Verslo Zinios, Nauseda accused Zemaitaitis of discrediting “not only…

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Estonia: Ukraine to remain number one foreign policy priority: official

Ukraine will remain the number one priority of Estonia’s foreign policy for as long as the war continues, Jonatan Vseviov, secretary general of Estonia’s Foreign Ministry, said, ERR reports. If Ukraine manages to survive winter 2024-2025, then spring-summer 2025 could be easier, he suggested. Estonia will never accept changes to European borders through military aggression,…

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Lithuania: President urges review of export ban on dual-use goods

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for a quick review of restrictions on the export of dual-use goods, BNS reports. Earlier, Economy Minister Lukas Savickas proposed relaxing the restrictions urgently. The previous government banned the export by air of several goods that Russia could use in its war against Ukraine to most third countries. Speaking in…

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Baltic: Latvia to preside over Baltic Council of Ministers in 2025

Latvia has taken over the presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM) for 2025, LSM reports. The focus of the Latvian presidency will be on regional security and resilience, support for Ukraine, regional connectivity, energy security, and investments, the Latvian Foreign Ministry stated. Latvia would pay special attention to external borders, civil protection and…

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Latvia: Doubts about hosting Russian independent media

Several media outlets from Russia moved their editorial offices to Latvia after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, LSM reports. Latvia has since issued over 6,000 visas to Russian citizens, of whom 500 are journalists and their family members. Dace Melbarde, parliamentary secretary at Latvia’s Foreign Ministry, said that giving Russian journalists an…

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