U.S. firm with Russia, Baltic states told
Summit marks nations’ 100 years of independence
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump made the case to the leaders of the Baltic nations Tuesday that the U.S. was “very tough on Russia,” pointing to U.S. support for increased defense spending by NATO countries as a check on Moscow’s aggression.
Trump, joined by the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, spoke a day after the White House dangled the prospect of extending a White House welcome to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The three former Soviet states border Russia and are viewed as a bulwark against Russian incursions in Eastern Europe.
“Nobody has been tougher on Russia, but getting along with Russia would be a good thing, not a bad thing. And just about everybody agrees to that except very stupid people,” Trump said in a Cabinet Room meeting with the leaders. “We’ve been very tough on Russia, frankly.”
Trump was asked by a reporter if he considered Putin to be a friend or foe. He replied, “We’ll find out. I’ll let you know.”
Lithuania’s Dalia Grybauskaite told Trump that the U.S. role in NATO is essential, calling the nation a “vital voice” in the military alliance.
“We expect, together with the United States, to go ahead with deep reforms of NATO, especially on decision-making, on decisiveness, on the denial which we expect to see from Russia in case of aggression,” Grybauskaite said. “Without the United States, this is not possible.”
The Baltic leaders noted their security commitments under NATO. Grybauskaite said the Article 5 collective defense under NATO was “ironclad for all of us,” while Estonia’s Kersti Kaljulaid said the countries are “an axis of good.”
The U.S. summit marked the three Baltic nations’ 100 years of independence. The countries declared their independence from Russia in 1918 but were incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940 and remained part of it until 1991.