Contents tagged with Baltic States
-
Belarusian Defense Minister: Joint military exercises with Russia does not pose a threat to anyone
Western countries, especially the Baltic states, should not be afraid of the exercises which Belarus and Russia are planning to carry out this year, as stated by Andrei Ravkov, Defense Minister of Belarus.
According to him, the fears which have been expressed by a number of politicians and experts are “hysteria”, Belarus Segodnya news website reports.
“Zapad 2017” does not pose a threat to European countries, since “it has a defensive character, not directed against third countries, and it is …
-
Lithuanian President hopes for even more support from NATO and the U.S.
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė announced during the Munich Security Conference that her country expects even broader military assistance from the United States to further strengthen NATO's eastern flank. The President made the statement on Saturday, February 18 during a meeting of the leaders of the three Baltic States with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
Grybauskaitė stressed at the end of the meeting, in an interview to Agence France-Presse (AFP), that it is important to bear in …
-
Spain to deploy 300 soldiers to Latvia as part of NATO mission
Three hundred Spanish soldiers will be deployed to Latvia as part of NATO’s rotational battalion in the Baltic States, as stated by Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis.
According to him, preparations for the Canadian-led battalion are currently under way, and a meeting will be held in Ottawa at the end of January to discuss the logistics of the deployment.
"Spain will also join the battalion, sending a large group of soldiers in the amount of 300 people. In total, the battalion will …
-
Dutch fighters began patrolling the skies over the Baltic as part of NATO mission
As of the 5th of January, F-16 fighter Falcons from the Netherlands Air Force began patrolling the air space of the NATO member Baltic States, as reported on the website of the Defense Ministry of Lithuania.
As reported in the statement, four aircraft from the air forces of the Netherlands, based at the airbase in Šiauliai, will replace French aircraft which patrolled the skies over the Baltic during the last four months. It is also reported that it is the third rotation of aircraft of the …
-
NATO fighters made 110 flights from the Baltic states to escort Russian Air Force aircraft in 2016
Last year, NATO fighter jets stationed in Baltic countries scrambled 110 times to escort Russian military aircraft flying near the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as reported by postimees.ee, citing information from the Ministry of Defence of Lithuania. The activity of Russian aircraft still remains higher than before 2014.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Defense to the Baltic News Service, in 2013 NATO fighters scrambled 47 times, in 2014, 140 times, in 2015, about 160 …
-
Four Dutch fighters arrived in Lithuania as part of NATO mission
On the 2nd of January 2017, four F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets of the Dutch Air Force landed at the Lithuanian airbase in Šiauliai. As delfi.lt reported, the contingent of the Royal Netherlands Air Force will take over the NATO air policing mission in the Baltics from the 5th of January. It will consist of approximately 120 people.
The Dutch servicemen will replace their French colleagues, who have been on duty with four Mirage 2000 fighter jets for four months. The contingent of the …
-
US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham to visit Ukraine
Two Members of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, will visit Ukraine on December 30th and 31st, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
The two Republican Senators will also visit Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, and Montenegro.
Speaking in Estonia on Tuesday, McCain said US-NATO relations will not change once Donald Trump is sworn in as president.
-
The Baltic States decided to abandon their Russian power supply
The Baltic States decided to disconnect from the BRELL power supply system, which connects Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia with Belarus and Russia until 2025, Delfi reported, referencing JSC Latvenergo Chairman Aris Zhigurs.
According to Zhigurs, separation from the power supply mains of the former USSR states will affect the cost to consumers but to what extent depends on the ability to attract European volume and financing. Zhigurs also said that a decision was made to synchronize the Baltic …
-
Defense Ministers of the Baltic States stated that an improvement in relations between NATO and Russia should not be expected
The Ministers of Defense of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania stated that improvement of relations between NATO and the Russian Federation in 2017 is unlikely, the ERR.ee portal reported. The representatives also agree that work will continue according to the OSCE Vienna document.
The ministers signed a traditional communiqué on cooperation, noting that next year will have strategic importance for the region because NATO military forces will be deployed there.
“The next year will be extremely …
-
Estonian President: Trump should support the Baltic States
According to the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, the stability of Estonia is a prerequisite for the stability of all countries of the North Atlantic alliance.
"We have been helping to strengthen security in other world regions – in Afghanistan, Iraq, and today in Lebanon together with our Finnish partners, as part of UN missions all over the world for the last 20 years. We contributed to the security system based on shared values. And, we believe, it is absolutely clear – if there are …