Baltic presidents call for tougher sanctions against all supporters of Russian aggression in Ukraine

RIGA - In a joint statement, the Presidents of the Baltic States - Edgars Rinkevics of Latvia, Gitanas Nausada of Lithuania and Alar Karis of Estonia - call for tougher sanctions against all supporters of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The Baltic presidents stress that this call comes in the light of the recent deployment of North Korean troops to fight against Ukraine, as well as Chinese and Iranian military supplies and co-productions that support Russian aggression.

The statement, adopted on the sidelines of the annual presidents' meeting in Klaipeda, Lithuania, underlines that the Baltic States continue to work together for the firm and united implementation of existing restrictive measures and to prevent the circumvention of sanctions.

They also call for continued action by the European Union (EU) and its Member States to halt Russian hostilities, by suspending trade deals with Russia and Belarus and by imposing new import tariffs on Russian and Belarusian goods.

The statement notes that the Baltic States continue to implement their commitment to allocate at least 0.25 percent of their annual gross domestic product to military aid to Ukraine.

The Presidents commit to continue to promote effective and synchronized military assistance to Ukraine, including through the European Peace Facility, the EU Ammunition Production Initiative, the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine and the EU Advisory Mission on Civil Security Sector Reform in Ukraine, as well as through NATO security and training support to Ukraine and the Comprehensive Support Package for Ukraine.

"We remain committed to supporting Ukraine on its irreversible path towards NATO membership, calling for Ukraine to join NATO as soon as possible. We strongly support Ukraine's EU membership and call for swift and effective accession negotiations with Ukraine," the Baltic Presidents noted.

They also call on the international community to fully support the peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, prioritizing Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and holding Russia accountable. The Baltic Presidents express their support for the victory plan proposed by Zelensky, seeking "a just and lasting peace".