Latvia was elected on June 3 to the UN Security Council for the first time in its history. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže called it a “historic day" for the Baltic nation, pledging the country’s commitment to upholding the rules-based international order.
According to Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Russian aircraft posed a threat to regional airspace safety.
The detention followed recent moves by Estonia and its neighbors to clamp down on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," which is used to bypass Western oil sanctions.
"Today's incident shows that Russia continues to behave unpredictably," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. Estonia will redirect port traffic through its own territorial waters.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany and its allies are responding to hybrid threats in the Baltic region with increased patrols and renewed pressure on Russia's covert shipping operations.
The denunciation of the convention will take effect six months after the decision is made.
The annual report said Russia is using aggressive tactics, such as unauthorized airspace incursions and close encounters with NATO ships and aircraft.
About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression.
In a conversation following Pope Francis's funeral, Trump promised to "do everything" to maintain peace negotiations, Estonian President Alar Karis said.
"Russia, which is behaving aggressively towards NATO and implementing its brutal and bloodthirsty imperialism, has been attacking Ukraine for three years," Polish President Andrzej Duda said.
These countries have shown "high aggressiveness" towards Russia and are "constantly rattling their weapons," Russia's Foreign Intelligence Director Sergey Naryshkin said on April 15.
The U.K., France, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and another unnamed country stand ready to send their soldiers, while other leaders want to see a more detailed plan before making commitments, AFP reported.
The legislation aims to prevent foreign influence in Estonia’s religious sphere if it threatens national security, constitutional order, or public order, or if it promotes military aggression or incites war, according to the parliament’s press service.
The application was submitted earlier this year but did not receive approval, Lithuanian officials said.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic said the move aims to tighten supervision over trains traveling to and from Kaliningrad, a Russian military stronghold bordering Lithuania and Poland.
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sat down with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys during his visit to Kyiv on April 1 to discuss the future of Europe during U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, whether European sanctions remain an effective instrument to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, and Lithuania's contribution to the "coalition of the willing."
As the U.S. chooses an increasingly hostile posture toward Europe, the U.K. and France have been gearing up to lead the continent's defense without Washington. French President Emmanuel Macron has coined the term "strategic autonomy," which envisions a self-sufficient Europe that can defend itself and export its agenda
"We all understand that when the war in Ukraine will be stopped, Russia will redistribute its forces very quickly. That means also the threat level will increase significantly very quickly," said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
"The decisions in our local life won't be made by the citizens of the aggressor states, but we'll decide by ourselves," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said after the March 26 vote.
Throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, repeated and escalating warnings of the potential for a wider war have only raised fears in the Baltic states that they could be next in the crosshairs of the Kremlin. Talk about a potential Russian invasion is "very common at parties, gatherings, lunch breaks,
The Lithuanian prosecutor’s office alleges that Russia's military intelligence formed a special group to carry out arson attacks across Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia.
Russian presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev accused the alliance, particularly the U.K., of provoking instability in the region.
The Lithuanian parliament voted to exit the treaty last July, leading to Vilnius submitting documents for withdrawal in the autumn of that year. The six-month deadline for leaving the convention expired on March 6.
Lithuania has already invested 20 million euros ($21 million) in purchasing weapons for Kyiv from Ukrainian producers and will produce arms in cooperation with Ukraine, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on March 1.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia plans to deploy 15 divisions, totaling 100,000 to 150,000 troops, primarily in Belarus.
Lithuania will allocate nearly 32 million euros ($32.9 million) in 2025 to support the education of Ukrainians who have relocated to the country due to the war, Lithuanian broadcaster LRT announced on Feb. 9.
The EU "should boost independence even further and end all Russian energy imports," Karis said on Feb. 9. "We should even seriously consider a full trade embargo on Russia."
"This legacy of occupation meant that Moscow - which uses energy as a weapon - had control of the frequency," the ministry said in a statement on X. "That’s a critical element in maintaining reliable power supply. That dependency ends today!"
Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia will disconnect from Russia’s power grid this weekend and synchronize with the Western European network.
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys reportedly described the shift as part of a "new era. " Vilnius committed to spending between 5% and 6% of its GDP on defense annually until at least 2030. Estonia followed suit, pledging to raise defense spending from 3.7% of GDP to 5%.
An underwater fiber optic cable belonging to the Latvian State Radio and Television Broadcasting Center (LVRTC) was significantly damaged on Jan. 26, reportedly due to external impact, according to LVRTC representative Vineta Sprugaine.
"We’d talk with our allies and partners about what it looks like, and we’d talk with Ukraine about what it looks like," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said.
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