Page 12 - Baltic Countries News Today

Finnish military experts do not think that Finland's NATO accession should see it defend the Baltic countries, daily Helsingin Sanomat reports.

Sent their culture minister. in that sense, russia has really shown no interest in negotiations and if you are ukraine, your sovereignty has been violated by full—scale war, built upon eight years of low level conflicts with the east of ukraine, you would not have any interest in negotiating either and i think that is the big part of why they do not want to negotiate now. in a strategic sense, there is an interesting angle here, the places where russia has been more successful are in occupied ...

In a strategic sense, there is an interesting angle here, the places where russia has been more successful are in occupied areas like donbas. if you are a ukrainian official there, it does not make much sense to give the russians any more ground from which to launch further attacks. how important is the regional support from the baltic countries, from poland, in ensuring that ukraine feels confident enough to keep pushing back and refusing to concede territory? it is absolutely essential. countr...

To keep pushing back and refusing to concede territory?— concede territory? it is absolutely essential. countries _ concede territory? it is absolutely essential. countries like - concede territory? it is absolutely essential. countries like poland i concede territory? it is absolutely l essential. countries like poland and the baltic states understand the threat of russian aggression better than any other western countries. to have the baltic states and poland in institutions like the eu and ...

The baltic countries feeling a lot safer. norway as well. and, yes, nato will have its presence there in the baltic sea. this is, of course, something that vladimir putin wants to avoid. he has always seen natos expansion eastwards as a threat. this is more menacing for russia in vladimir putins eyes, but, again, we already heard from finalndspresident yesterday, applying for nato membership from the finnish point of view it would be about defence, not offence. james reynolds is in lappeenranta,...

Its one of multiple breakaway in conflicts within the european footprint. it is another place where russia has stoked -- theyre attempting to give back terrain where they say so-called russian speakers are still part of the population. and truthfully, beyond just the fact theyre even considering going as far west as that which i agree with you, theyre not going to be able to do, certainly not with the forces or capability of the leadership they currently have, but it sends a signal to other nato...

Discussed for several decades and russia mentioned a demand for new security architecture, what we have seenin security architecture, what we have seen in the context of russian aggression, it is consolidation of the existing alliance giving it a new lease of life to protect the member states rather than consider any sort of new arrangement, having said that, some countries in the us -- eu said that, some countries in the us —— eu are looking to provide a greater defence component, and franc...

Theyre very pragmatic. theyre raising the stakes. but for vladimir putin, who has written an article suggesting that historically ukraine and russia are one nation, who has also said it is absolutely unacceptable for nato to be putting more military forces into the former soviet space, and who says that if nato were to offer ukraine membership, that would be a fundamental threat to russias security. hes notjoking. hes not playing poker. this is a very strong and real feeling in russia, is it not...

Russian forces and equipment and, you know, i dont have access to the intelligence about what that equipment is, but that puts then the nato allies in some greater danger. and we know that vladimir putin will not stop with ukraine. and latvia, lithuania, and estonia, the baltic countries that are nato members, they used to be part of the soviet union. vladimir putin has this idea that he should have a sphere of influence that starts, at least, with the former soviet union. so, again, this is why...

Hes not playing poker. this is a very strong and real feeling in russia, is it not? but the next argument from their side will be baltic countries, poland, czech, slovak, hungarian. they will remind you about the warsaw agreement and probably the next target will be berlin wall. the berlin wall was falling, and we will have a new appetiser in russian minds about western berlin and east berlin. do you think it was a mistake, if you reflect on ukraines recent history, for ukraine to decide that it...