Baltics ask US congress to defy Trump and uphold military support

September 11, 2025 3:32 PM

Baltics ask US congress to defy Trump and uphold military support

Lawmakers from three Baltic nations bordering Russia urged the U.S. Congress on Thursday to reject a proposal by President Donald Trump that would slash about $200 million a year in defence support for the region. "In this region, if America goes out, Russia comes in," said Lithuania's former ambassador to the United States, Zygimantas Pavilionis, one of 36 legislators from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to sign a joint letter asking for the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) programme to be maint...

Poland and Baltic nations plan to pull out from landmines convention

March 18, 2025 4:27 PM

Poland and Baltic nations plan to pull out from landmines convention

NATO members Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia plan to withdraw from the Ottawa convention banning anti-personnel mines due to the military threat from their neighbour Russia, the four countries said on Tuesday. Quitting the 1997 treaty, which has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 nations but not by Russia, will allow Poland and the three Baltic countries to start stockpiling landmines again. "Military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly...