President Karis confirmed that Estonia is ready to assist Lithuania in responding to hybrid crises, as in autumn 2021.
The Estonian and Lithuanian heads of state met during the summit of the Three Seas Initiative. They discussed issues related to the summit and the security of the Baltic region. “We can see that Russia is planning to significantly increase its military presence on the borders of the Baltic States and in Belarus, where Wagner fighters are also based,” conceded President Karis. “Russia’s destabilising approach will not change.” He emphasised that in this context, Baltic cooperation in all fields, in particular in NATO and the European Union, is crucial. The Estonian President added that having successful defence plans will be one of the most important issues in NATO.
President Karis wished Lithuania successful coordination in the preparation of the next Three Seas summit, which should take place in Vilnius in spring 2024.
