Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has submitted her resignation to President Alar Karis, ERR reports. Kallas will also resign from her post as chairperson of the Estonian Reform Party. Earlier, she was nominated as the EU’s foreign policy chief. Kallas will remain acting head of the government until the new coalition is sworn into office, which…
Estonia’s primary goals at the NATO summit in Washington include increasing defence spending, closing capability gaps, and maintaining a focus on the threat from Russia, ERR reports. Estonia is pushing for investments in critical defence capabilities such as air defence and ammunition. Estonia supports raising the defence spending target to 2.5-3% of GDP. Additionally, Estonia…
Baltic leaders reacted strongly to Russia’s massive missile attacks across Ukraine, including against a children’s hospital in Kyiv, on 8 July 2024. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated that there was “no line Russian terrorists would not cross.” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Russia was a terrorist state with whom negotiations were impossible. Estonian…
NATO must be ready for Russia turning even more hostile in the decade to come, Estonian President Alar Karis warned, ERR reports. Speaking after a meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in Vilnius, Karis said that Russia would remain NATO’s most serious military threat for a very long time. He called on NATO allies to…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics called for increased EU defence spending, exempting it from fiscal rules, Kathimerini reports. He emphasised the need for the EU to be more self-reliant in defence and for more coordination in defence matters. During his visit to Athens, Rinkevics discussed with Greek officials boosting economic ties, securing more funding for external…
Estonia has sent Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, Fakti reports. The French-made short-range missiles can be used against low-flying aircraft and helicopters. The missiles can be fired by individual servicemen or mounted on vehicles, ships, or helicopters. In June 2024, Estonia signed a joint contract with France, Cyprus, and Hungary to replenish its stocks…
The heads of the public broadcasters in the Baltic States and Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation during the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Cyprus, LSM reports. The memorandum aims to establish mutual support mechanisms to ensure business continuity in an emergency, such as a war. The agreement provides for the…
China’s Special Representative on European Affairs, Wu Hongbo, has paid a visit to Latvia, LETA reports. Wu met with Dace Melbarde, parliamentary secretary of Latvia’s Foreign Ministry, and Katarina Platere, head of the ministry’s bilateral relations directorate. The officials discussed bilateral dialogue, cooperation in specific sectors and international organisations, and regional security. The Foreign Ministry…
US technology company Google has removed the official accounts of EU-sanctioned Russian performers, following a request from the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK), BNS reports. LRTK asked Google to remove the YouTube accounts of several Russian artists who have been placed under EU sanctions for actively supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.