The threat from Russia is and will remain real, and all NATO allies must understand and take it “extremely seriously,” Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, stated, The Baltic Times reports. Speaking at the opening debate of a NATO conference in Vilnius, Kallas noted that all allies contributed 2% of GDP to defence in 1988 because…
The US may keep rotational forces in Lithuania beyond 2026, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced, BNS reports. Speaking after a meeting with US President Joe Biden, Nauseda revealed that he had heard “assurances of US flexibility” in meeting allied needs. Nauseda said that it was “realistic to expect” that the US troop presence in Lithuania…
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has arrived in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, for the NATO summit, LRT reports. He arrived in Lithuania on Poland’s presidential jet. Zelensky will have several bilateral meetings with world leaders in Vilnius. Speaking at a public event on Lukiskes Square in central Vilnius, Zelensky thanked Lithuania for its support for Ukraine joining…
Defence ministers of the three Baltic States signed a declaration on joint defence of their airspace on the first day of the NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, on 11 July 2023, LSM reports. According to the declaration, the Baltic States plan to strengthen cooperation in air defence. Also, the three countries will ensure that…
The heads of parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany have signed a joint declaration, calling on the NATO summit in Vilnius to commit to Ukraine’s eventual membership of the alliance, Ukrinform reports. The parliamentary speakers called on NATO allies to work closely together to develop security commitments for Ukraine. At the same time,…
Latvia’s new president, former foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics, made his first official visit abroad to Estonia on 10 July 2023, ERR reports. He met with Estonian President Alar Karis, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and other officials in Tallinn. They discussed bilateral cooperation, regional cooperation projects, continued support for Ukraine, and the NATO summit in Vilnius….
NATO’s new defence plans for the Baltic region mean that the Estonian people will “no longer have to wait to be liberated” if the country is attacked, Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, stated, ERR reports. Speaking at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Kallas said that NATO would be ready to fight back immediately, which should…
NATO member states have agreed on new defence plans for the Baltic region, LRT reports. The plans mean that if Russia sets foot in the region, “it will be pushed out,” Lithuania’s defence chief, General Valdemaras Rupsys, stated. He said that work was needed to implement the new regional defence plans. Lithuania’s NATO Ambassador, Deividas…
US President Joe Biden met with Lithuania’s President, Gitanas Nauseda, in Vilnius in the morning of 11 July 2023, LRT reports. Speaking at the presidential palace, Biden reaffirmed US commitment to the defence of the Baltic States and to NATO. Biden recalled that he first visited Lithuania in 2014, when he was serving as vice…