Ceasefire in Ukraine will increase the threat from Russia to the Baltic countries - FT
Kyiv • UNN
Defense ministers of the Baltic countries warn that a truce in Ukraine will allow Russia to rearm and transfer troops to their borders. The countries call on NATO not to weaken the defense of the eastern flank.
The defense ministers of the Baltic countries warned that a ceasefire in Ukraine would sharply increase the security threat to the Baltic countries, as Russia would continue to implement plans to rearm and redeploy troops to NATO's north-eastern flank.
UNN reports this with reference to the Financial Times.
As FT writes, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are concerned that Moscow will not stop in Ukraine as soon as the Trump administration mediates a ceasefire. The Baltic countries note that the Kremlin has already outlined plans to increase military production and deploy additional troops along their borders.
We all understand that when the war in Ukraine is stopped, Russia will redistribute its forces very quickly. This also means that the level of threat will increase significantly very quickly.
His Lithuanian counterpart Dovile Šakaliene made similar remarks while in the UK earlier this week.
Let's have no illusions. Let's not lie to ourselves that Russia will be finished after Ukraine. Russia will use this time after the ceasefire to accelerate its military potential. They already have a huge army trained for battle that is going to get even bigger.
Estonian Defense Minister Pevkur noted that of the 600,000 Russian troops currently estimated in Ukraine, 300,000 are likely to be redeployed.
"These people will not go to different parts of Russia to collect corn or do something else, because the salary they receive in the army is five to ten times higher than in their hometown," said the Estonian Defense Minister.
The Baltic countries are particularly concerned about the large-scale "West" military exercises to be held this fall near their borders in Russia and Belarus. The exercises, held every four years, simulate a conflict with NATO countries, involving tens of thousands of troops, tanks, aircraft and artillery.
Both ministers also warned against redeploying any NATO troops from their countries to form so-called European "reassurance forces" to be sent to post-conflict Ukraine as a means of deterring Russia from re-attacking.
We cannot jeopardize the security of NATO's eastern flank. We cannot fall into the trap that our forces are somehow entrenched in Ukraine. Then we will have risks on our border.
NATO's eastern flank countries, including Poland and Romania, have said they cannot commit to deploying troops to Ukraine at the expense of their own security. Estonia also objected to British plans to redeploy British forces earmarked for the defense of the Baltic States to Ukraine.
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Lithuania is currently defended by a German brigade, which will be stationed on its territory in the coming months, Latvia is defended by multinational forces led by Canada, and Estonia is guarded by a British brigade, which can be sent from Great Britain at short notice.
There are currently just under a thousand British troops in Estonia. This consistent iron commitment to Estonia will continue - and it will continue because Estonia and our troops are on the front lines of NATO.
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