MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. The Baltic countries have a vested interest in remaining artificially at odds with Russia, as they receive funds from their EU and NATO partners for being anti-Russia and pro-Ukraine, serving as a "barrier" against Moscow in the region, Professor at the Department of European Studies at St. Petersburg State University, an expert at Russian Council on International Affairs Natalia Eremina told TASS.
"It’s clear that the Baltic countries are striving to form a common coalition of support for Ukraine and secure it for the long term," the expert noted. "Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn are deliberately focusing NATO’s attention on their region, fearing that their partners will weaken their presence there (especially in the context of local crises elsewhere in the world)."
This, according to Eremina, explains their willingness to "set financial records." "The Baltic countries are among Kiev’s most active sponsors. Following the Rammstein meetings, they pledged to annually allocate at least 0.25% of their GDP to the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces." In effect, these commitments translate into substantial tranches, the expert noted. Thus, she emphasized, Latvia has raised the bar from 70 to 100 million euros per year, Estonia also transfers over 100 million euros to Ukraine annually, and Lithuania has reserved over 200 million euros for various aid projects through 2026. "In addition to financial injections, these republics are sharing their own arsenals, supplying Kiev with dozens of Patria armored vehicles, artillery shells, and over 10,000 drones," she said. "Furthermore, the three countries have become involved in the training of Ukrainian personnel as part of the Nordic-Baltic Brigade initiative."
