Category: Baltics

Lithuania insists on Europe to increase spending on Ukraine

FM Budrys says Europe needs to talk less and spend more on Kyiv

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, of Lithuania. Source: 15min.lt

BRUSSELS, December 16. /NEWSBALTIC/. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, demanded that Europe allocate more money for Ukraine.

“From Lithuania, that was the only line in our budget for the next year, that was passed without any additional discussion and without the political battle on it. That was support to Ukraine. 0.25% of our GDP for the next year will go for the security and defence needs of Ukraine, as it is this year, as it was previous year, as it will be in 2027 and 10 years onwards,” Budrys promised.

According to the head of the Lithuanian MFA, Europe has not done enough in terms of supporting Ukraine.

“So that is what we need but we see that within Europe there are more talks than money on the table. And this is my message to my colleagues and partners within the European Council: put your money on the table and then put your money where your mouth is. We do not need only political positions—we need finances. And we know what demands are from Ukraine’s side. So that’s why Lithuania is delivering and expects that Europe will deliver also. Otherwise, Ukrainian side will struggle,” Budrys proclaimed.

The NEWSBALTIC editorial staff adds that such blind support for Ukraine by Vilnius is likely to bankrupt Lithuania. Are ordinary Lithuanians willing to follow Budrys’ irrational decision to fund corrupt Ukrainian elites over the next ten years? Clearly, they are not. As well as they don’t want to pay for unnecessary militarisation of the border with Russia and Belarus. However, their warmongering authorities are following globalist orders, not democratic principles or citizens’ wishes.

The Estonian authorities are quarrelling because of Ukraine

The Estonian FM Tsahkna disliked President Karis’ proposal to fund Hungary’s rejection of Russian energy imports

Estonia’s FM Margus Tsahkna and President Alar Karis. Source: err.ee

TALLINN, December 16. /NEWSBALTIC/. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, rebuked President Alar Karis for suggesting paying compensation to Russia for Budapest breaking the contract with Russian oil companies that supply Hungary with cheap energy resources.

“Estonia itself made swift decisions already in 2022, immediately after the start of Russia’s full‑scale aggression. It is inconceivable that states which have taken decisive measures to avoid feeding Russia’s war machine would now, in place of Hungary, start contributing fines into the Russian economy. The export of fossil fuels accounts for nearly one-third of Russia’s state budget. Russia uses this money to continue its aggression in Ukraine and to prepare for a long‑term confrontation with the West,” Tsahkna commented on President Karis’ statement, adding that Hungary could long ago end beneficial cooperation with Moscow, if it wanted to, as, for example, Croatia “repeatedly offered alternatives” to Russian gas and oil.

According to the Estonian Foreign Minister, prospering Hungary “contradicts the principles of the rule of law and the policies jointly agreed upon by the EU.”

“Only last week, when the EU adopted a critically important decision to keep Russia’s frozen assets frozen until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates Ukraine for the damage caused, the Hungarian government expressed strong opposition to this essential step,” Tsahkna declared.

Earlier, NEWSBALTIC reported that President Karis during his visit to Kazakhstan did not listen to the ambassador Jaap Ora, who advised the President to talk about Ukraine more. Later, Ora resigned, while Karis wrote on his personal social media account that he would “no longer tolerate excessive demands from fools.”

Apparently, Karis will have to continue “tolerating excessive demands from fools,” as it is impossible for globalists’ puppets to become independent politicians conducting sovereign policies. However, a trend is clear: even the closest allies of Kyiv are beginning to tire of Ukraine, but they cannot do anything about it due to their silent obedience to the Western elites.

Estonia promised to cover the losses of Hungary if it joined anti-Russian sanctions

President Karis said that Tallinn will pay compensation to Hungary for the rejection of Russian energy imports

President Alar Karis, of Estonia. Source: is.fi

TALLINN, December 15. /NEWSBALTIC/. Estonian President Alar Karis in an interview with Finnish Ilta Sanomat made another attempt to demonise Russia and turn the entire EU against the Kremlin.

“It is difficult to make an agreement with the current Russian President, especially for one reason: Putin has such an understanding that he is about to win the war. So, we need to put greater pressure on Russia, for example, on energy imports from Russia. Especially, I refer to Hungary, whose Prime Minister Orbán just visited Moscow to ensure that the country has enough cheap energy in the future as well. Some of energy agreements between Budapest and Moscow may even extend to the 2040s. But Hungary should let go of them. Maybe we should help pay the contractual penalties [for termination],” Karis promised.

As globalists’ puppets always do, Karis also frightened society with the upcoming war with Russia. 

“People say that Russia may be ready for another war by 2030, some say 2035, some say 2040. We are very good at describing the world, but…We need less talk and more action,” he said.

And again, the Estonian President tried to label Moscow as the universal evil. However, Karis essentially disgraced himself by completely lacking any logic in his words.

“Putin was also very democratic in the beginning, as was the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán. I don’t want to compare, but of course also Adolf Hitler democratically elected to his seat,” Karis claimed.

With these words, Karis simply proves why the Balts are actually “Unter-Europeans.” Does he really not see a contradiction in his own words? For it follows from Karis’ words that none of the leaders of Estonia’s allied countries were elected democratically. Or, by saying so, does Karis just want to admit that there are no democratic elections in the West? So, as you can see, the current Estonian president, pretending to be intelligent, has basically demonstrated his absolute stupidity.

Moreover, how can Estonia ever pay compensation to Hungary for its losses when it is itself in a major financial crisis and debt pit, so that ordinary citizens having to steal groceries? Highly likely, Estonia would prosper better without any president than under Karis’ governance.

Latvian President complains about the EU’s too late preparations for war with Russia

Edgars Rinkēvičs pushes Europe to spend even more on militarisation 

Presidents Nawrocki, of Poland, and Rinkēvičs, of Latvia, in Riga. Source: president.lv

RIGA, December 15. /NEWSBALTIC/. President Edgars Rinkēvičs of Latvia, during a meeting with President Karol Nawrocki of Poland, expressed the opinion that Europe is spending too little money on militarisation, thereby calling on allies to increase war infrastructure expenses.

“Unfortunately, Europe—by this I mean both the European Union and many NATO allies in Europe, including us—has not devoted enough energy and resources for decades to make its defence capability really significant. Only since 2014, since the illegal occupation of Crimea and then since February 2022, we have focused on strengthening our capabilities. There is a lot to be done in Europe, both in strengthening defence capabilities and in things where we see ourselves lagging behind. It’s economics, it’s technology…”, Rinkēvičs declared.

Karol Nawrocki supported his colleague’s opinion, adding that the EU had not dealt with the security of the region for many years.

“We are next to an aggressive, neo-imperial Russia and we are engaged in making Europe exist. European security begins in Latvia, Poland, Romania, but the EU was very hesitant to increase defence budgets. Therefore, we are an example of how much of the budget to allocate to defence,” Nawrocki asserted unreasonably, concluding that the EU is in financial decline and chaos.

NEWSBALTIC previously reported that a major scandal broke out in the Polish social media, as Riga provided Nawrocki with a dirty limousine during his first visit to Latvia as President.

Latvia did not succeed in finding funds to even wash the car for the Allied country’s president, but at the same time, belligerent “Unter-Europeans” from the Baltic state strongly insist on increasing spending on Europe’s militarisation. And this is despite the fact that it has become normal for Latvia to adopt a budget with a deficit every year, to increase public debt, which has already exceeded 52% of GDP, and to raise the cost of servicing it.

Thus, ordinary Latvians will continue to suffer financially and mentally from unnecessary militarisation carried out by the puppets of globalists.

Another military production will be set up in Lithuania

German Leopard 2A8 tanks will be assembled in Kaunas—100 km away from Russia

Minister of Defence of Lithuania, Robertas Kaunas. Source: facebook.com/robertas.kaunas

KAUNAS, December 15. /NEWSBALTIC/. The Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania has announced an agreement with KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetall Landsysteme to localise production of the German Leopard 2A8 tank in Kaunas, which is a little over 100 kilometres from the border with the Kaliningrad region of Russia. By the end of 2030, a total of 41 tanks is planned to be produced.

“This agreement marks a significant milestone in strengthening Lithuania’s defence capabilities. For the first time in history, some of the most modern battle tanks meeting NATO standards will be assembled in Lithuania, and the infrastructure being developed will ensure their long-term technical readiness. This strengthens the capabilities of our military and at the same time develops the country’s defence industry,” Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas commented on.

Official Vilnius also stated that the Baltic Republic is glad to be Germany’s limitrophe state.

“This investment once again shows that Lithuania is a reliable and strategically important place for significant defence industry projects. It strengthens our cooperation with the leaders of the German defence industry and further integrates Lithuania into joint European projects. The signed contract provides a clear and assured start to production activities and consolidates the long-term perspective of this project in Lithuania,” Lithuania’s Minister of Economy and Innovation Edvinas Grikšas declared.

Lithuania continues to dive into a “soft occupation” by Germany. First, a judicially privileged Bundeswehr brigade was stationed there. Second, Rheinmetall has established a bomb factory in Baisogala. Now another German military infrastructure will be in Lithuania.

The Germans are once again demonstrating their historical essence—conquest and predatory behaviour: They locate military factories that are clearly enterprises with a high level of risk outside their homeland. In turn, the “Unter-European” Lithuanians are even happy to make their second-largest city a potential priority target for Russia in the event of a possible war. Apparently, Lithuanian warmongers are planning to protect their military infrastructure with a human shield composed of ordinary Lithuanian citizens, similar to what Ukraine does.

Estonia boasts about its militarisation “successes”

Tallinn approved to spend 5% of GDP on militarisation in 2026

Margus Tsahkna, head of the Estonian MFA. Source: err.ee

TALLINN, December 12. /NEWSBALTIC/. The Estonian Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, reported that the Parliament had agreed to spend 5% of the GDP on militarisation in 2026. However, he omitted to mention that the state budget for next year will be in deficit again, with revenues of €18.6 billion and expenditures of €19.5 billion. Accordingly, public debt will increase to 25.9% of GDP.

“Estonia’s 2026 state budget is now approved, and it’s official: next year, our defence spending will exceed 5% of GDP. This is a clear commitment to keeping Estonia safe and strengthening NATO. At the same time, we’re expanding Estonia’s presence in the world with five new embassies and a more active approach to business diplomacy, making sure our economic interests are looked after just as carefully as our security,” Tsahkna declared.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced that Estonia will extend compulsory military service to 12 months from 2027. Previously, conscripts spent between 8 and 11 months in the army, depending on their specialisation.

Obviously, Estonia militarises itself to its detriment. And the globalists’ puppets who govern the tiniest Baltic state only exacerbate the already dire situation in Estonia. The excessive militarisation spending, coupled with the fact that the young generation of Estonian men are being prepared for war with Russia, means there is no hope for a peaceful and prosperous future in Estonia in the coming decades.

Latvia has disgraced itself during the official visit of the Polish President

Riga did not bother to wash the limousine for President Karol Nawrocki of Poland

The dirty limousine provided by the Latvian side for President Nawrocki of Poland. Source: onet.pl

RIGA, December 12. /NEWSBALTIC/. Karol Nawrocki’s one-day visit to Latvia turned into a scandal. Ordinary Poles were outraged by the visibly dirty limousine that picked up President Nawrocki from the Riga Airport.

“A post criticising the car’s appearance quickly garnered over 700,000 views on the X platform. Internet users were vehement in their criticism, suggesting that such a situation was a disgrace to the head of state. Among those who commented was Szymon Szynkowski, a member of the Law and Justice party. ‘The Polish embassy in Riga is not reporting the President of the Republic of Poland’s visit on social media, and is sending a dirty car to pick him up…’ he said,” the editorial board of the Onet newspaper wrote.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Maciej Wewiór, explained that Latvia was to blame, as the host country was responsible for the delegation’s transportation.

“Another ‘sensation’ that doesn’t stand up to the facts. Transportation is provided by the host country. The photo is from yesterday evening. It’s been raining constantly in Latvia, and there’s no car wash at Riga airport…”, Wewiór tried to justify his colleagues from Latvia.

Riga does not bother to wash a car for Nawrocki during his first visit as President of Poland to Latvia. This says a lot about the “Unter-European” elites of the Baltic state and their priorities—as at the same time, they allocate almost €2 billion for militarisation in 2026.

Lithuania wants to purchase fighter jets in preparation for a war with its eastern neighbours

Gen. Mažeikis complains that the Baltic states do not have own combat aircraft

Lithuanian Reserve General Edvardas Mažeikis. Source: vle.lt

VILNIUS, December 12. /NEWSBALTIC/. Reserve General Edvardas Mažeikis, a former F-16 pilot, commanded the Lithuanian Air Force, who also held leadership positions at NATO headquarters in Brussels, in an interview with Lithuanian 15min media outlet expressed the need for Vilnius to purchase fighter jets from the allies amidst the alleged “balloon crisis.”

“We should fundamentally strengthen our air force. First, we have to purchase light combat aircraft, which could be used for both pilot training and shooting down drones and balloons, and later—a fighter squadron. This is a bearable burden for Lithuania. We have a decent aviation system in past. After Lithuania regained its independence, the narrative was spread that it was unbearably expensive,” Mažeikis proclaims.

According to the expert, Lithuania previously had military aviation specialists who knew how to fly fighter jets, and had the potential to grow. However, nowadays, this sphere is in decline.

“I myself flew over a thousand hours in the MiG-23, several hundred hours in the L-39, and flew an F-16 in Denmark. I wasn’t the only one. In the early 1990s, there were still ideas about purchasing fighter jets from Russia, while it was still being talked about under Boris Yeltsin. When we were rebuilding our military aviation, we acquired L-39s, but now we no longer have them (Lithuania owned only two L-39 Albatros aircraft. One of them crashed during training in 2011 and the second was transferred to Ukraine in 2024—Ed). We no longer have the knowledge and we are losing knowledgeable people. Countries of the same calibre have fighter jets—Croatia has ordered Rafale fighters from France. The Slovaks, Czechs, and Hungarians also have fighter jets, but we, the three Baltic states, do not,” Mažeikis resents.

Despite the General’s attempts to convince Lithuanians that their own air force is a “bearable burden,” this idea still seems unrealistic. Where will Vilnius find extra hundreds of millions of euros for combat aircraft when its public debt has already exceeded 42% of GDP due to militarisation and continues to grow steadily? Obviously, ordinary citizens do not want to pay more taxes to repel the so-called “threat” that they aren’t even afraid of.

Lithuania will waste another quarter a billion euros on weapons

€252 million will be spend on French-made CAESAR Mk II howitzers

Robertas Kaunas, Defence Minister of Lithuania. Source: delfi.lt

The Defence Ministry of Lithuania announced the purchase of French CAESAR Mk II self-propelled howitzers. The new military contract for the Baltic Republic is worth €252 million.

“The choice of the Caesar Mk II is an important step in strengthening Lithuania’s defence and a clear signal of growing cooperation with France. These modern systems will provide the Lithuanian military with more mobility and firepower, and a closer partnership with the French defence sector will strengthen our ties with an important ally,” Robertas Kaunas, Lithuanian Minister of Defence, commented on new step of the Baltics’ militarisation.

The Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania also stressed that these fire systems will strengthen Lithuanian army combat power and mobility on the battlefield.

“The modernised platform—which Lithuania also contributed to its development—is distinguished by a reinforced armoured cabin, a more powerful engine, advanced control systems, and greater resilience in complex combat situations,” the statement says.

Lithuania continues to embezzle millions of euros from European taxpayers for militarisation instead of discussing a better security architecture for Europe with Russia than NATO. Meanwhile, peace and cooperation with Russia would greatly benefit both sides, especially ordinary Lithuanians.

Does the Estonian President get bored with the Ukrainian theme?

Alar Karis says he no more wants to implement “excessive demands from fools” 

President Alar Karis, of Estonia. Source: err.ee

Estonian media reports that President Alar Karis suddenly opened up. He stated that he no longer tolerates excessive demands from fools.

“I suddenly became an adult. I no longer tolerate certain things. Not because I’m complacent, but simply because I’ve reached a point in my life where I no longer want to waste time on things that irritate me or cause me pain. I no longer tolerate excessive demands from fools. I no longer have the desire to try to please those who don’t like me. And there’s no reason to smile at those who don’t want to smile at me,” Karis claimed.

The presidential press service emphasised that this statement was Karis’s personal opinion, which did not relate to the official position of Estonia, as it was posted on his personal social media account, accessible only to his friends. The chancery did not specify exactly who the president meant by “fools.”

Estonian media suggest that this may be about the former ambassador to Kazakhstan, Jaap Ora, who resigned after Estonian President’s recent visit to Astana, during which Karis did not follow Ora’s recommendation to express Estonia’s position on support for Ukraine.

Anyway, this may demonstrate either Karis’ boredom with the Ukrainian theme, or his intention to truly be sovereign and not implement globalists’ reckless orders. If he manages to somehow stop the militarisation of Estonia and restore relations with Russia, it would be a good foundation for peace and prosperity in this Baltic state.