Brothers and sisters in aid and support
The military and humanitarian support being provided to Ukraine by three small countries in northern Europe — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, situated along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea — is gathering attention. Their aid is not as large in overall size as that of the United States, the United Kingdom or Poland. But when viewed in terms of population size (these countries have 1.3 million, just under 2 million and 2.8 million people each), the Baltic states are giving more than anyone in the world.
In Seattle on a recent weekend, ambassadors to the United States from the Baltic countries made clear the resolve of their governments and people to help Ukrainians turn back the Russian invasion and to provide them aid. The ambassadors spoke at a plenary session of the bi-annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies. Attending the conference were 250 scholars throughout North America and Europe, with many from the three Baltic countries.
Estonian Ambassador Kristjan Prikk told the conference that the Baltic countries acted early and boldly in providing military aid to Ukraine. “The Baltic countries helped turn the course of history,” he said, enabling Ukraine to fight Russia’s forces effectively. Soon after the invasion began in February, Estonia sent the Ukrainians anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. Estonia, he told the conference, has up to now sent military equipment equivalent to one-third of the country’s entire defense budget. Moreover, Estonia has taken in more than 40,000 Ukrainian refugees, which has increased the number of people in the country by 3%.
Lithuania has provided home to even more Ukrainians — 54,000, amounting to nearly 2% of the country’s population, said Laima Jurevičienė, consul general of Lithuania in Los Angeles. Jurevičinė drew attention to the large number of forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, including children without parents. It is feared that these children will remain in Russia, amounting to state-sponsored kidnapping.
“We must strengthen our alliance and cooperation,” she said, adding that energy independence from Russia must be the goal for all of Europe.
“The Baltic states need to be listened to,” Ambassador to the United States from Latvia Māris Selga said. “We were not surprised by this invasion; we had been warning about this for years.”
He explained that the Baltic countries are not anti-russian and that before Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014 had good trade relations with their huge neighbor to the east. But only when Russia is no longer an aggressor will the Baltic countries be willing to engage again in trade relations.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia share with Ukraine the fate of being part of the USSR: Ukraine from the establishment of the USSR in 1922 and the Baltic states from 1940, when they were forcibly annexed following the agreement of Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler in August 1939 to divide eastern and central Europe between them.
Why are the three Baltic countries supporting Ukraine with such determination? They know what it means to be invaded by Russia, for war to ravage their countries and for thousands of citizens to be forcibly deported. They fear that should Russia be successful in seizing power in Ukraine, they could be next.
“This is also about us — it is existential for us,” Prikk said. “Ukraine for [Vladimir] Putin is what Poland was for Hitler. If we don’t stop him there, things will only get worse.”
With the anticipated expansion this summer of NATO to include Finland and Sweden, security will improve for all the countries with shores on the Baltic Sea (Poland, Germany and Denmark). “We have to strengthen NATO’S posture throughout the region,” Prikk said. “We don’t want any military adviser to Putin to recommend that he can expand his attacks.”
The Baltic governments oppose the notion that peace between Ukraine and Russia can be achieved by allowing Russia to keep some territory in eastern Ukraine. “This would only encourage Russia elsewhere,” Prikk said. Selga added, “It is the Ukrainians who get to decide what to do vis-à-vis Russia.”
The insights of scholars from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are strengthened by these countries’ long experience within the USSR, by their familiarity with Russia and skills in Russian they retain. Judging from the presentations from scholars from the Baltic countries, these countries see clearly the nature of the threat from Russia, and yet have a deep confidence that they are ready to respond.
Deividas Šlekys, a specialist in military studies at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University in Lithuania, described three pillars of Lithuania’s national defense: conventional warfare, preparedness for waging an insurgency and a readiness for civil, non-military resistance. Lessons are certainly being learned from the response of Ukrainians to Russia’s invasion. Lithuania, he said, is preparing for the possible need for “total defense.” Should the country face an attacking force, “Everyone will be involved.”
One of the central strengths not only for Lithuania, but also for Latvia and Estonia, is the high level of trust in these countries’ societies — trust between political leaders, the military, the press and civic organizations. “In small states, everybody knows everyone else,” he said, admitting that this is much harder to achieve in large countries like the United States.
Andis Kudors, a visiting scholar from Latvia at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, described the Kremlin’s use of destructive “sharp power” aimed at its democratic neighbors — disinformation, control over narratives and spin-doctoring — influence very different from the attractions central to “soft power.”
Scholars from the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are not only giving the world lessons in work and self-sacrifice for the benefit of Ukraine — a country undergoing an unjustified, murderous attack. They are also teaching us how to guarantee our own security, how to maintain open and free government, and how to trust each other and work together for the common good.