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☆ As Trump blasts NATO allies for not paying for defense, these front-line countries are readying for war
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But as Russia's bloody war in Ukraine enters its third year, and the threat to NATO countries, particularly those on Russia's borders, grows, the Baltic states are investing in their defense more than ever. Shawn CooverThe talk came just on the heels of Trump's most recent attack on NATO members who he deems aren't paying their 'fair share." Last week, the former president said that he would keep the US in NATO should European countries pay and "play fair." He said the US "was paying 90% of NATO," and that without the US, NATO "literally doesn't even exist." "We've reinstated conscription, so we're building up our armed forces," an unpopular move that Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs is pushing other NATO members to do, too.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Margus Tsahkna, Vladimir Putin, Tsahkna, Shawn Coover, Trump, ALAIN JOCARD, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, isn't, Macron, Krišjānis Kariņš, Kariņš, Thomas Wiegold, We've, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Rinkēvičs Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Hudson Institute, Washington DC, Estonian, US Marine Corps, Staff, Getty, Latvian, Financial Times Locations: Ukraine, Baltic, Washington, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Russian, China, Europe, NATO, Poland, estonian, Rakvere, AFP, Baltics, France, Germany, Russia's, Greece, Belarus, Finland, Romania, Hungary

☆ Pope sparks anger after saying Ukraine should have the ‘courage of the white flag’ and negotiate
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Pope Francis has sparked anger after saying Ukraine should have the “courage of the white flag” and negotiate to end the war with Russia. In an interview with Swiss broadcaster Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) published on Saturday, Francis was asked whether he thinks negotiations would “legitimize the stronger party.”“That is one interpretation,” he replied. We shall never raise any other flags,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a post on social media Sunday. People wave Ukrainian flags at St.Peter's square as Pope Francis addresses the crowd on Sunday. “How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine,” Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Sunday in a post on X.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, ”, Dmytro Kuleba, “, Alberto Pizzoli, Sviatoslav, unconquered, ” Father Sviatoslav, Matteo Bruni, Pope, Francis’s, Putin, Radosław Sikorski, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Alexandra Valkenburg Organizations: CNN, Radio Télévision Suisse, Getty, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Greek Catholic Church, Press, Vatican News, EU Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Swiss, Kyiv, “, AFP, New York, Ukrainian, “ Ukraine

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — World leaders and Russian opposition activists wasted no time Friday in blaming the reported death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on President Vladimir Putin and his government. Navalny was “brutally murdered by the Kremlin,” said Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Other Russian opposition activists echoed him. “If it is confirmed, the death of Alexei is a murder. Organized by Putin,” opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov said on social media.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “ Putin, —, ” Zelenskyy, Olaf Scholz, ” Scholz, Navalny, “, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Ivan Zhdanov, hasn’t, Alexei, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Dmitry Gudkov, Garry Kasparov, ” Kasparov, Pyotr Verzilov, “ Navalny, Verzilov, Ursula von der Leyen, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Kremlin, EU, NATO, National, NPR Locations: TALLINN, Estonia, Russian, Berlin, Russia, Navalny, Germany

☆ Ukraine war latest updates: Putin hails military gains in Ukraine; Blinken warns of 'real problem' if Kyiv gets no extra funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Polish President Andrzej Duda told CNBC Tuesday that Ukraine's refusal to cede ground to Russia in any prospective peace talks was "perfectly understandable." "To me, as the president of Poland, it's perfectly understandable. He told CNBC that "all those voices who are saying that we probably should have some kind of political process, talks or discussions, they somehow don't hear what Mr. Putin is saying," Rinkēvičs told CNBC on Tuesday. When asked to comment on Sunday's talks, the Kremlin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told CNBC, "We find these negotiations strange without our participation. Read more on the story here: 'Perfectly understandable': Russia's neighbors back Ukraine's refusal to negotiate on peace talks— Holly Ellyatt

Persons: Andrzej Duda, Duda, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, Latvia's, Edgars, Putin, Rinkēvičs, Sunday's, Dmitry Peskov, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: CNBC, Economic, Kremlin's Locations: Russia, Davos, Poland

☆ Ukraine needs more air defences to protect grain exports, Zelenskiy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"There is a deficit of air defence - that is no secret," Zelenskiy told the Grain from Ukraine summit, which was attended by senior officials from European countries, including Swiss President Alain Berset and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. Zelenskiy was speaking after Russia attacked Ukraine with 75 drones overnight, the biggest drone assault of the war. Zelenskiy said Ukraine would be supplied by its foreign partners with vessels to accompany convoys of cargo ships from Ukraine's ports to guarantee their security. Ukraine, a major exporter of grain, has been exporting grain via unilateral corridors through the Black sea, after Russia withdrew in July from a UN-brokered deal to allow grain ships through its blockade. "There are certain air defence systems... we are asking for them," Zelenskiy said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Alain Berset, Edgars Rinkevics, Ingrida Simonyte, Zelenskiy, Ursula von der Leyen, We've, Max Hunder, Elaine Monaghan, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Lithuanian, Russia, UN, Thomson Locations: Swiss, Latvian, Ukraine, Kyiv, KYIV, Russia, Odesa, Ukraine's, Washington

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Latvia’s president says Russia is planning for a long war in Ukraine and he has a message for countries wavering on continuing military support to Kyiv: Keep supplying arms or the Ukrainians will lose and Russia will have a green light for threatening others in the future. In July, Rinkēvičs was sworn in as president of Latvia, which was part of the Soviet Union until its break-up in August 1991. He said it is important for the West to support both Ukraine and Israel against attacks on “our values” and the international order. Rinkēvičs said the EU and NATO need to prepare for a long war in Ukraine. Many experts and officials have said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hope is to outlast Western support for Ukraine in a long war.

Persons: —, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Russia’s Wagner, Rinkēvičs, ”, “, ” Rinkēvičs, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s, Vladimir Putin’s, “ Let’s, let’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Associated Press, European Union, NATO, Russia, Russia’s, Gaza Health Ministry, EU, Ukraine, Security Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Africa, Gaza, Israel, Latvia, Soviet Union, Baltic, EU, Iran, It's, Moscow, ” Ukraine, United State, Asia, Taiwan, Latvian, United States, Nazi Germany, New York

☆ Kremlin, asked about damaged Baltic pipeline, says threats to Russia 'unacceptable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Estonian Navy conducts an undersea communications cable survey after a subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea was damaged, in the Gulf of Finland, October 10, 2023. Estonian Navy Handout/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that any threats made against Russia were "unacceptable" after Latvia's president said NATO should shut the Baltic Sea to shipping if Moscow were found responsible for damage to a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also repeated Moscow's denial of any involvement in the damage inflicted on the Balticconnector pipeline and a telecoms cable on Oct. 8. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said in a TV interview last week that NATO should close the Baltic Sea to ships if Russia were proven responsible for the damage to the Balticconnector. Asked about Rinkevics' remarks, Peskov told a regular news briefing: "Any threats must be taken seriously, no matter who they come from.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Edgars Rinkevics, Peskov, Rinkevics, Gareth Jones, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Estonian Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Russia, NATO, Kremlin, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Handout, Moscow, Latvian, Russia, Latvia, United States, Nord

Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Estonia has contacted Chinese authorities as part of its investigation into how two Baltic Sea telecom cables were severed, the Estonian foreign ministry said on Monday. Early on Oct. 8, a gas pipeline and a telecoms cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea were broken, in what Finnish investigators say may have been deliberate sabotage. The incidents have stoked concerns about energy security in the wider Nordic region, prompted NATO to increase patrols in the Baltic Sea and Helsinki to contact Moscow and Beijing via diplomatic channels about the incidents. Earlier on on Monday China called for an "objective, fair and professional" investigation into the gas pipeline damage. Any threats against Russia were "unacceptable", he said in response to Latvian President's Edgars Rinkevics call for NATO to shut the Baltic Sea to shipping if Moscow were found responsible.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Andrius Sytas, Terje Solsvik, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Baltic, Reuters, NATO, China, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Finland, Rights VILNIUS, Estonia, Estonian, Finland, Baltic, Sweden, Hong, Kong, Russia, MarineTraffic, Helsinki, Moscow, Beijing, Tallinn, Latvian, Latvia

Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins addresses the opening session on the first day of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, Britain June 21, 2023. Henry Nicholls/Pool via REUTERSRIGA, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins announced his resignation on Monday, blaming a breakdown in relations with parts of his multi-party governing government. Karins' New Unity party plans to select its candidate for prime minister on Wednesday, he said. President Edgars Rinkevics has responsibility for giving a mandate to a new prime minister to try to form a government. Latvia's next parliamentary election is scheduled for 2026.

Persons: Krisjanis Karins, Henry Nicholls, Karins, Aivars Lembergs, Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia's, Janis Laizans, Andrius, Terje Solsvik, John Stonestreet Organizations: Latvia's, Conference, REUTERS, Latvian, European Union, NATO, Unity, National Alliance, Progressives, Greens, Farmers Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, London, Britain, REUTERS RIGA, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Ventspils

☆ Latvia swears in EU's first openly gay president
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsLatvia swears in EU's first openly gay presidentPostedLatvia's new president Edgars Rinkevics was sworn in on Saturday (July 8) in Riga, becoming the first openly gay head of state of a European Union nation.

Persons: EU's, Edgars Rinkevics Organizations: Latvia, European Union Locations: Riga

☆ Shocked by the speed of the Wagner revolt, Russia's neighbors want to beef up NATO's eastern flank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Petras Malukas | Afp | Getty ImagesThe fallout of the Wagner Group's short-lived armed rebellion has raised the alarm among Europe's Baltic countries. Speaking alongside his counterparts from Latvia and Estonia on Tuesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the speed of the Wagner uprising underscored the strategic importance of strengthening NATO's eastern flank. Germany has offered to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to bolster NATO's eastern flank. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year had already fueled concerns about the regional security of the Baltic region. Regional security concernsLatvia Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics described the Wagner rebellion as an example of "one evil fighting another evil."

Persons: Griffin, Silvestras, Petras Malukas, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Landsbergis, Malukas, Catherine Colonna, Jens Stoltenberg, Russia's, Mario Bikarski, Federica Reccia, Edgars Rinkevics, Rinkevics, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Gavriil Grigorov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Belarusian, Lithuanian, NATO, French, European Union, Economist Intelligence Unit, CNBC, Latvia, AFP Locations: Lithuanian, Pabrade, Lithuania, Baltic, Moscow, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Paris, Belarus, Estonian, Germany, Vilnius, Ukraine, Belarusian, Russian

☆ Chinese ambassador sparks European blowback over post-Soviet states comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Several leaders in former Soviet states, including Ukraine, were quick to hit back following the interview, which aired Friday on French station LCI. Beijing has formal diplomatic relations with post-Soviet states, which include Russia. Ties have soured as Europe has uneasily watched China’s tightening relationship with Russia and its refusal to condemn Putin’s invasion. Voices in former Soviet states, where many remember being under Communist authoritarian rule, have been among those in Europe critical of such an approach. For Russia, giving up control of Crimea is widely seen as a non-starter in any potential peace settlement on Ukraine.

☆ Latvia would not send athletes to Olympics if Russia and Belarus included
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VILNIUS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Latvia would not send athletes to an Olympic Games that included Russian and Belarusian nationals while the invasion in Ukraine is ongoing, a spokesperson for the country's Olympic committee said on Wednesday. But the Paris Games is a year and half away. The Paris 2024 Olympics will be held from July 26-Aug. 11 and the Paralympics from Aug. 28-Sept. 8. Neither the Lithuanian nor Estonian National Olympic Committees are considering boycotts of Paris Olympics, their chairs told domestic media on Tuesday. Foreign ministers of the three countries and Poland on Tuesday agreed that Russian and Belarusian athletes in Olympics are "unacceptable" so long as the invasion continues, Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics said.

Pressure mounted on Germany to approve the transfer of its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, a day after Western allies meeting at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany failed to reach an agreement about sending armored vehicles. Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvia’s foreign minister, said on Twitter Saturday morning that he and his counterparts from Lithuania and Estonia “call on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now. This is needed to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and restore peace in Europe quickly. Germany as the leading European power has special responsibility in this regard.”

☆ Europe blames sabotage for Russian pipeline explosions
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Sabotage was behind underwater explosions that sent gas spewing from two major pipelines connecting Europe and Russia, Western leaders concurred Wednesday. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he discussed the “sabotage” of the pipelines at a meeting with Denmark’s defense minister in Brussels. The incident has put the region on edge, months after fears of a Russian military threat to the Baltics dissipated in the wake of its military’s struggles in Ukraine. A new Baltic pipeline allowing gas to be delivered from Norway through Denmark to Poland was inaugurated Tuesday. In recent weeks, Moscow has increasingly framed the war as not just with Ukraine but its Western backers, too.

☆ Winter's approach sets the clock ticking for Ukraine and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A destroyed Russian tank is seen as Ukrainian serviceman rides a tractor and tows a Russian military vehicle, amid Russia's invasion on Ukraine, near the village of Dolyna in Kharkiv region, Ukraine September 23, 2022. Russia, meanwhile, pressed on with its call-up of hundreds of thousands of men to throw into the seven-month war, seeking to reverse its recent losses. The Russian mobilization — its first such call-up since World War II — is sparking protests in Russian cities, with fresh demonstrations Sunday. It is also opening splits in Europe about whether fighting-age Russian men fleeing in droves should be welcomed or turned away. For Ukrainian and Russian military planners, the clock is ticking, with the approach of winter expected to make fighting more complicated.

☆ 4 out of the 5 EU countries bordering Russia are banning Russian tourists, even if they hold visas for the border-free Schengen zone
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are banning Russian tourists. From September 19, even Russian tourists who hold Schengen zone visas will be turned away. Finland is the only country bordering Russia that's still open to Russian tourists. Among the EU countries sharing a border with Russia, only Finland remains open to Russian tourists. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said last week a ban on visas for Russian tourists could be against the Schengen zone visa agreement, per Reuters.

☆ Guvernul Lituaniei a anunţat expulzarea a doi diplomaţi belaruşi, în contextul tensiunilor cu regimul de la Minsk
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-28 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Guvernul Lituaniei a anunţat, vineri, expulzarea a doi diplomaţi belaruşi, în semn de solidaritate cu Letonia, ai cărei diplomaţi au fost expulzaţi din Belarus pe fondul tensiunilor internaţionale apărute după deturnarea unui avion spre Minsk, scrie Reuters, citat de Mediafax și digi24.ro. „Doi diplomaţi belaruşi vor fi expulzaţi, din cauza unor activităţi incompatibile cu statutul diplomatic”, a comunicat Ministerul lituanian de Externe, citat de agenţia Reuters. În replică la expulzarea diplomaţilor de la Minsk, Letonia a expulzat toţi diplomaţii belaruşi. Un avion al companiei Ryanair care zbura din Grecia spre Lituania a fost forţat să aterizeze duminică în capitala Belarusului. Decizia de aterizare a fost justificată prin presupusa primire a unui mesaj care avertiza că la bord ar fi o bombă.

Persons: Reuters, Martins, Sofia, Aleksandr Lukaşenko Organizations: Mediafax, Ryanair Locations: Lituaniei, Letonia, Belarus, Minsk, lituanian, Lituania, Externe, Letoniei, Riga, Belarusului, Grecia, Roman, Sofia Sapega

„Doi diplomaţi belaruşi vor fi expulzaţi, din cauza unor activităţi incompatibile cu statutul diplomatic”, a comunicat Ministerul lituanian de Externe, citat de agenţia Reuters. „Prin această decizie, Lituania este solidară cu Letonia, ai cărei diplomaţi şi funcţionari ai Ambasadei din Minsk au fost expulzaţi în mod nejustificat din Belarus în urmă cu câteva zile”, precizează Ministerul lituanian de Externe. În replică la expulzarea diplomaţilor de la Minsk, Letonia a expulzat toţi diplomaţii belaruşi. Un avion al companiei Ryanair care zbura din Grecia spre Lituania a fost forţat să aterizeze duminică în capitala Belarusului. Decizia de aterizare a fost justificată prin presupusa primire a unui mesaj care avertiza că la bord ar fi o bombă.

Persons: Reuters, Martins, Sofia, Aleksandr Lukaşenko Organizations: Ryanair Locations: lituanian, Lituania, Letonia, Minsk, Belarus, Externe, Belarusul, Letoniei, Riga, Belarusului, Grecia, Roman, Sofia Sapega

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