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☆ Russian fertilizer seized in Latvia sent to Kenya by UN agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VILNIUS, April 22 (Reuters) - Russian-origin fertilizer which Latvia seized due to European Union sanctions is being sent to Kenya by the United Nations' World Food Programme, Latvia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. The first shipment of part of the 200,000 tonnes of the seized fertilizer left the port of Riga on Friday and several more are due to follow, it added. "The Latvian Government decided to facilitate the donation, with support from the UN World Food Programme, of mineral fertilizers owned by companies sanctioned by the European Union," the statement said. "Together with its foreign partners and international organisations, Latvia continues providing support for the countries that have been affected by the food crisis triggered by Russia’s war on Ukraine." Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Estonia PM focused on defence spending and same sex marriage law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas speaks to the media as she attends the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna GeronTALLINN, April 12 (Reuters) - Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday she was focused on her next term as Estonian prime minister despite media speculation she could be in the running to lead NATO, with plans including legalising same sex marriage and increasing defence spending. Taxes will be raised to fund the spending in a time of economic contraction, Kallas has said. The new government will also legislate same sex marriage equality "as fast as possible", Kallas said, becoming the first Central European country to do so. I'm the prime minister of Estonia, and I try to solve all the problems that we have here."

☆ Lithuania to call for sanctions over Russian plan for nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VILNIUS, March 26 (Reuters) - Lithuania said on Sunday it would call for new sanctions against Moscow and Minsk in response to Russia's plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The statement from Lithuania's foreign ministry came hours after NATO criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for what it called his "dangerous and irresponsible" nuclear rhetoric. Lithuania will ask for the additional sanctions on Russia and Belarus to be included in a package of penalties being discussed in Brussels, the ministry's spokesperson said. "Together with its Euro-Atlantic partners, Lithuania will decide how to react to these militaristic plans of the Russian and Belarusian regimes," the ministry said in a statement. Putin on Saturday likened his plans to the U.S. stationing its weapons in Europe, while insisting that Russia would not violate its nuclear non-proliferation promises.

☆ Ecumenical patriarch: Russian Church shares blame for 'crimes' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's comments are a rebuke for Russian Patriarch Kirill, whose full-throated blessing for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church. Bartholomew, who in 2019 infuriated Moscow by recognising the newly established Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said Russian authorities were using the Church as an "instrument for their strategic objectives". The Russian Orthodox Church had no immediate comment. 'MOTHER CHURCH'The Ecumenical Patriarch is based in Istanbul and is viewed as "first among equals" in the Orthodox Church, which has some 260 million followers worldwide, around 100 million of them in Russia. Ukraine says Russia is waging an unprovoked war of aggression aimed at seizing land and crushing its independence.

"I am very well aware of the delicacy of the situation ... but we are not yet at the finish line." Fellow hawk Simkus also told reporters in Vilnius he believed that Thursday's "was not the last rate hike". But neither policymaker made a case for a rate increase as soon as the next ECB meeting, and Kazimir said it was useless to speculate about the May 4 decision. French central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said the hike reflected the ECB's inflation-fighting priorities and signalled confidence in the solidity of European banks. "There are risks to inflation on both sides, but in my view, upward risks are much greater," he said.

☆ Russia can fight in Ukraine for two more years at current intensity, Lithuania says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VILNIUS, March 9 (Reuters) - The chief of Lithuania's military intelligence said Russia has enough resources to continue the war in Ukraine for two more years at the current intensity. Moscow says it launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine a year ago to combat a security threat. "The resources which Russia has at the moment would be enough to continue the war at the present intensity for two years", Lithuania's intelligence chief Elegijus Paulavicius told reporters. Lithuania's intelligence services said sanctions had not harmed Russia's ability to fund its military as it redirects resources to them from public welfare. "This will depend greatly on the duration and the outcome of the war in Ukraine – the longer and the costlier the war, the more time it will take," the report said.

☆ Latvia donates drunk drivers' cars to Ukraine's war effort
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view of a trailer loaded with vehicles to send to Ukraine, which were confiscated from drunk drivers, in Riga, Latvia March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Janis LaizansRIGA, March 9 (Reuters) - Latvia began seizing cars from heavily drunk drivers this year, and as hundreds of vehicles began overfilling impound lots, decided to send them to Ukrainian military and hospitals. Two hundred cars were taken from drivers found with blood alcohol levels over 0.15% in two months in the Baltic nation of 1.9 million people. So that's why I came with the idea – send them to Ukraine," Poznaks said. He laughed as he found a Russian flag pinned in one of the confiscated vehicles, left there by its owner.

☆ Lithuania aims to raise $539 mln from temporary windfall tax on banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VILNIUS, March 9 (Reuters) - Lithuania's finance minister proposed on Thursday a temporary windfall tax on bank profits, aiming to raise an estimated 510 million euros ($538.7 million) over a two-year period. "In large part, the policy of banks has no influence on the profits, they are due to exceptional circumstances, and are probably surprising to banks themselves," Skaiste said. The government and the central bank had previously said Lithuania was contemplating a windfall tax on the banking industry, but had not said how much this could raise. The government's proposal would impose a two-year tax of 60% on the part of a bank's interest income that is more than 50% higher than a four-year average, Skaiste said. Two Swedish-owned groups hold more than half of Lithuania's banking assets, Swedbank (SWEDa.ST), whose 2022 profits increased by 64% to 148 million euros, and SEB (SEBa.ST), whose profits were up 49% to 172 million euros.

☆ Estonia goes to polls in a test for pro-Kyiv government
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

If, as opinion polls predict, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas' liberal Reform party wins the election and successfully crafts a coalition it would cement the Baltic nation's pro-European direction. Estonia would also stay on course to adopt more green energy and continue to accept refugees from Ukraine. The polls close at 20.00 local time (18.00 GMT), with most electoral districts expected to report their tallies by midnight. Kallas and EKRE leader Martin Helme both told Reuters this week they hope to lead the next coalition government. "People are really scared about the future, and the main parties, especially the governing parties, have no real answers," he added.

WARSAW, Feb 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will meet leaders of NATO's eastern flank on Wednesday to show support for their security after Moscow suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty. Hours earlier, Putin delivered lengthy remarks laden with criticism of the Western powers, blaming them for the war in Ukraine. At the meeting, Biden plans to reaffirm commitments over their security and discuss support for Ukraine before he returns to Washington. "Lithuania and other like-minded countries have several requests, which concern air defence, forward defence presence, air defence systems, and greater investments in the defence industry," Asta Skaisgiryte said. The former Soviet republic on Russia's doorstep joined NATO in 2004 and plans to host Biden in July for the security alliance's leaders' summit.

Biden said the West was never plotting to attack Russia and the invasion was Putin's choice. "It is a big mistake," Biden said of Putin's decision before his session with eastern European allies known as the Bucharest Nine. We will defend literally every inch of NATO, every inch of NATO," he said. The Kremlin says it regards NATO, which could soon expand to include Sweden and Finland, as an existential threat to Russia. It said the leaders looked forward to further strengthening unity and collective defense at a NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

☆ Zelenskiy plans to attend July NATO summit in Vilnius - Ukraine ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to attend in person a NATO summit taking place in Vilnius in July, Ukraine's ambassador to Lithuania told local newswire BNS. Zelenskiy has made only two foreign trips since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago - one to Washington in December and another to London, Paris and Brussels in February. The Vilnius summit on July 11-12 will be attended by most leaders of the Atlantic alliance, Lithuania presidential office said. "That is our plan," ambassador Petro Beshta said about the Zelenskiy visit in an interview with BNS published on Wednesday. Ukraine hopes attendees at the summit would agree "very clearly that as soon as the war is over, Ukraine becomes a member of NATO", the ambassador said.

Hours before Biden spoke in Poland following a surprise visit to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed that Moscow would achieve its objectives in Ukraine and accused the West of plotting to destroy Russia. Biden proclaimed "unwavering" support for Kyiv and a commitment to bolstering NATO's eastern flank facing Russia, while rejecting Moscow's contention that the West was plotting to attack Russia. "I can report: Kyiv stands strong, Kyiv stands proud, it stands tall and, most important, it stands free. "When President Putin ordered his tanks to roll into Ukraine, he thought we would roll over. Putin said Ukraine had sought to strike a facility deep inside Russia where it keeps nuclear bombers, a reference to the Engels air base.

☆ Estonia to order munitions in one of its largest military purchases
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VILNIUS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Estonia is set to order a "significant quantity" of so-called loitering munitions, to be delivered in 2024 to increase the distance of its attacks, defence ministry said on Saturday. The loitering munitions, also called "kamikaze drones", cruise towards their target before plummeting at velocity and detonating on impact. The purchase of an unspecified number, set to be one of the largest in Estonia's history, is expected to be concluded this quarter. It is being made "in order to significantly increase (Estonian) indirect fire capability as a consequence of Russian aggression", the defence ministry said. Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ United States ready to defend Baltic allies, defense secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VILNIUS, Feb 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States was ready to defend the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania if required, and will keep its military presence in the region. Speaking in Tallinn after talks with Estonian leaders, he said the U.S. will continue to keep a "persistent, rotational" military presence in the region. "The United States remains steadfastly committed to the freedom and sovereignty of our Baltic allies," Austin told the news conference. The three Baltic States, neighbours of Russia and its ally Belarus, were once ruled from Moscow but are now part of NATO and the European Union. Austin in Tallinn reiterated the United States would be supporting Ukraine with military equipment, and said he expects Russia to continue heavy losses of its "ill-equipped and ill-trained" military personnel.

☆ Olympics row deepens as 35 countries demand ban for Russia and Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With war raging in Ukraine, the Baltic States, Nordic countries and Poland had called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics. "At the same time, we know that 70 percent of Russian athletes are soldiers. He said that most participants had been in favour of an absolute exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. While Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of host city Paris, has said Russian athletes should not take part, Paris 2024 organisers have said they will abide by the IOC's decision on the issue.

☆ Russian threat to Baltic security rising -Estonian intelligence report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VILNIUS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service said it believed Russia still had the strength to exert "credible military pressure" on the Baltic region, where the security risk has risen for the medium and long-term. NATO and the European Union members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - the so-called Baltic states - have sharply boosted defence spending in response to Russia's 2014 capture of Crimea from Ukraine and the invasion of Ukraine last year. "Russia considers the Baltic states to be the most vulnerable part of NATO, which would make them a focus of military pressure in the event of a NATO-Russia conflict." Russia's military presence near the Baltic states' borders could be rebuilt in four years, the intelligence service said. Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius, editing by Terje Solsvik and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Lithuania may tax windfall bank profits, boost defence spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura speaks with Lithuania's Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste at the European Union finance ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, July 12, 2022. "This is a critical situation, we are in an environment of high rates, so unexpected profits are appearing," central bank Governor Gediminas Simkus told a news conference. "The war in Ukraine and countries' reactions to it led to the high liquidity and high rates. The invasion also leads to more defence spending, so if we tax the windfall, the income would be used for defence", Skaiste told reporters. The neighbour of Russia had so far budgeted 2023 defence spending at 1.8 billion euros ($1.9 billion), or 2.52% of its gross domestic product.

☆ Latvia says traders use Turkey, Kazakhstan, Armenia to dodge Russia sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VILNIUS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Traders are using Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia to evade European Union sanctions on Russia in a tactic that breaches these countries' compliance with the bloc's embargo, Latvia's prime minister said on Friday. Krisjanis Karins made the assertion following talks with counterparts from fellow EU members Estonia and Lithuania, which along with Latvia have been among most vocal supporters of sanctions on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "It seems quite clear that traders are finding ways to legally trade goods, say with Turkey, Kazakhstan or Armenia which are then resent to Russia, because these countries are not adhering to the sanctions regime", Karins told reporters in the Estonian capital Tallinn. There was no immediate response from the foreign ministries of Turkey and Kazakhstan to requests for comment on the remarks by Karins. At the same time, it opposes Western sanctions on Russia and has close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbours.

☆ ECB set to raise rates again in May, policymakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

While neither would specify where rate hikes could end, Simkus said the ECB could be approaching a peak. "I think that we are already moving towards that terminal rate." Indeed, analysts polled by the ECB expect the euro zone central bank to eventually conquer inflation - but not for another two years. Markets currently price the terminal rate at 3.35%, suggesting that some investors see just a 25-bp move after the already signalled March move, while others see 50. Companies surveyed by the central bank were planning to raise prices at a slower pace and with less conviction.

The Baltic nations and Poland earlier Thursday called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics and other events while the war in Ukraine continues. "Efforts to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions under the veil of neutrality legitimize political decisions and widespread propaganda of these countries," it added. They called on "all international sports organizations and federations" to remove Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions until the war ends. Latvia joined Kyiv on Wednesday in threatening to boycott the 2024 Olympics and qualifiers if Russian and Belarusian athletes are included while the war continues in Ukraine. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26-Aug. 11 next year and the Paralympics from Aug. 28-Sept. 8.

☆ Analysis: IOC on spot over Russian presence at 2024 Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Some 18 months before the competition is due to start, the IOC is desperate to calm the waters. "Currently within the IOC, there is a lot of attention now on the Ukraine issue and the Russian athletes and any opposition," an Olympic movement insider told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "A sports boycott serves nothing," IOC President Thomas Bach said on the 40th anniversary of the 1980 Moscow Games boycott by some Western states. The IOC, host city, and international federations would ultimately benefit if Russian participation was perceived as upholding the Games' universal and neutral character. The IOC had also called for a ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions as part of "protective measures" given the volatile situation.

☆ 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.

☆ Several countries to announce sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine - Lithuania
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAPA MILITARY BASE, Estonia, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Several countries will announce sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine on Friday at a meeting at the German Ramstein Air Base, the Lithuanian defence minister said on Thursday. "Some of the countries will definitely send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, that is for sure", Arvydas Anusauskas told Reuters, about the Ramstein pledges, speaking after a preparatory meeting of 11 nations in Estonia. The total number of armoured vehicles pledged at Ramstein will go into hundreds, Anusauskas said. Reporting by Andrius Sytas; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: European states in Estonia pledge weapons for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Ints KalninsJan 19 (Reuters) - A group of 11 European states have pledged to deliver more arms to Ukraine in its war with Russia, saying they would send main battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defence, ammunition and infantry fighting vehicles. The 11 nations were Estonia, Britain, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain. Weapons donations and military support will continue in close cooperation with allies and in accordance with Ukrainian needs. Estonia will continue to provide both basic and specialist training to hundreds of Ukrainian Armed Forces members in 2023. Poland has already donated 42 infantry fighting vehicles along with training package for two mechanised battalions.

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