Foreign Ministers from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have warned that negotiations between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin‘s Russia could reduce NATO’s borders to those of 1997. Thus, an Alliance without the Baltic States, Poland and the two newest Scandinavian members, Sweden and Finland.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna termed these talks about Ukraine an “absolute victory” for Putin, allowing him to steer the agenda. Tsahkna emphasised that Putin does not recognise Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a legitimate leader and pointed out the impracticality of organising democratic elections in war-torn Ukraine.
“I don’t want to hear about wake up calls anymore. We’ve had too many since 2008. Let’s wake up, and act,” Estonian FM posted on X on 19 February.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys warned that Russia might issue ultimatums regarding the return to NATO’s 1997 borders, which would threaten the membership of the Baltic states and Poland, Finland, and Sweden.
“Time for discussions is over. Europe must act now. #Ukraine’s security is part of European security,” Lithuanian FM also posted on X.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Brazhe stated that “Putin cannot be allowed to achieve his goals,” emphasising that support for Ukraine is critical for Euro-Atlantic security. The Latvian Seimas recently adopted a resolution supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, with 82 out of 100 MPs voting in favour, while the Eurosceptic, pro-Kremlin faction opposed it.
