German Foreign Minister to Conclude Baltics Trip
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will conclude a 3-day visit to the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania today.
The main purpose of the visit was to discuss the NATO and EU response to the invasion of Ukraine. It comes as Germany is adopting an increasing leadership role within NATO. This includes the deployment of additional soldiers in Eastern Europe- in the Baltics, the German presence region has increased from 850 to 1200 soldiers alongside the addition of maritime patrol aircraft.
Both the Baltic States and Germany complement each other in striving for an increased capability to counter Russia- the Baltic states are economically and militarily far weaker than Russia and thus depend on the military strength of NATO partners such as Germany for protection. Meanwhile, Germany seeks to increase its security capabilities by leveraging Baltic experiences as Russian neighbors- particularly in the less conventional fields of energy security, cyber security, and misinformation. Expect future Baltic-German cooperation with Germany providing conventional military support through participation in future NATO deployments and the Baltic States assisting Germany in improving its non-military security capabilities.
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