The Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian foreign ministers addressed journalists in Washington about the importance of NATO for the Baltic States on Tuesday, March 28.
Latvia Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics expressed his hopes for greater dialogue between NATO allies and Russia as a prerequisite to any normalization of the West-Russia relations.
Estonia Foreign Minister Sven Mikser, echoed this sentiment raising concerns about Russia’s provocative behavior in the region, “We believe that essentially Russia is a rational player and as such can be deterred. And we need that deterrence. It’s exactly what we should be focusing on as an alliance, and we have been doing so since 2014.”
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, which the Baltic States see as a violation of international law. A ceasefire in the nearby East Ukrainian Donbass region is holding under the fragile 2015 Minsk agreement.
Rinkevics, pre-empted questions from journalists continuing to question the level of backing of NATO from the Trump administration, “I think most journalists are asking us the same question and I suspect you are going to ask the same question also here, ‘Are we really sure about U.S. commitment to NATO?’”
Rinkevics reaffirmed the press that he is “absolutely assured” of the U.S. “iron clad” commitment to NATO after multiple meetings with U.S. counterparts throughout March and earlier the morning with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
