If we’re discussing European nations that align with American interests, the Baltic Republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania easily come to mind. All three, in my opinion, are, as the kids today say, very “based.” They’re unapologetically freedom-loving, independent, and outstanding NATO members.
This past Tuesday, all three Baltic foreign ministers were in Washington, D.C., to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. State Department spox Tammy Bruce said of their meeting: “Secretary Rubio emphasized our strong ties to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia and reinforced our commitment to Baltic security. The Secretary welcomed their earnest contributions to European collective security through increased defense spending and burden sharing.”
Later that day, I attended a press conference at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation Museum, a few blocks away from the White House, featuring all three foreign ministers. Their visit notably coincided with the anniversary of Operation Priboi - the forcible deportation of over 90,000 Baltic peoples to gulags that occurred between March 25th-28th, 1949. The majority of deportees, sadly, were women and children under 16.
“Seventy-six years ago, there was a deportation of the Baltic states. And as it was mentioned, 70% of these tens of 1000s of people. They were just children and elderly people. Disabled people,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna remarked at the press conference. “Unfortunately, we have the same situation, not only in Ukraine, but many other places in the world. In Estonia, like in Lithuania, we have family stories. There's no[t] a single family [that] was not touched by this kind of atrocities.”
“It was a conscious policy of elimination of political, military and other elites. Economic elites,” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže added of the deportations. “We [Latvia] are a flourishing democracy–strong institutionally, strong economically, strong militarily, that we have this perfect allyship with the U.S., as Secretary Rubio said today.”
Lithuania Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys discussed his family story, noting, “My great-grandparents were farmers, and all the property was confiscated just after the occupations. They were deported to Siberia. My grandparents were teachers, and my grandfather was principal in the primary school. Naturally, they were intellectuals and they were the enemies of the regime. That's why they were deported."
Budrys said Russian crimes are largely excused today, by much of the world, on accounts of there being no Nuremberg-style accountability for the Soviets.
He added, “I think that one of the reasons why it’s [child kidnappings by Russians] still happening is because there was no international accountability for the ideology, for the regime. There was the Nuremberg process for Nazism. Nazis were prosecuted, and it was concluded that Nazism was an evil. That was not the case with communism, as [the] communistic practices we witnessed were the same.”
Some reporters attempted to bait the ministers into divulging about their conversation with Secretary Rubio, but they didn’t relent. And when pressed about their thoughts on “Signalgate,” Minister Braže responded by saying every politician, American or not, encounters mishaps with phone apps.
All three ministers, unlike some Western European leaders, were amiable and respectful of the Trump administration. They also conveyed their optimism for peace in Ukraine and are confident that the U.S.-led negotiations will produce a good outcome. Yet they cautioned, rightfully so, against trusting Russia - who continues to attack Ukraine even amidst ceasefire agreements.
In the days following this press conference, tragedy unfolded in Lithuania when a military exercise in the town of Pabradė, about six miles from the Belarusian border, went awry. As of this writing, four American servicemen are missing and not yet confirmed dead.
NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte originally claimed all four American soldiers, who are based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, had tragically passed away. He later walked back his statement, conceding the search for them is still ongoing.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued this statement via his X account: “Four of our brave soldiers from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division are currently missing in Lithuania. They were conducting scheduled tactical training. Our prayers are with their families, teammates, the entire unit—and everyone conducting search operations. Nothing our troops do — whether in combat or in training — is ever routine. We will not rest until our troops are found.”
“Until the very last minute we shall not lose hope, we will do everything to find the missing soldiers. Lithuania, just like U.S, does not leave our own behind,” Lithuanian Defense Dovilė Šakalienė tweeted. “Together with U.S. Ambassador Kara C. McDonald @USEmbVilnius, we met with U.S. military community in Lithuania. I assured them that we will continue search & rescue without sparing resources. Supporting each other now is more important now than ever.”
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have all pledged over 5% of their GDP for NATO defense spending, while bigger Western European countries - and even Canada - have barely met the 2% threshold. Even during Trump 1.0, the Baltics were ahead of the curve. Americans should appreciate their commitment to being good NATO partners.
In addition to defense, the Baltics boast many shared values with the U.S., like a general reverence for freedom and a commitment to energy independence. But don’t let their diminutive size fool you: The Baltics are strong, resilient, and undervalued allies.
We need more like-minded friends like them in Europe.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member