Baltic States in February 2026: the most important developments in politics
In February 2026, the Baltic states' politics revolved around the war in Ukraine and Europe's stance towards Russia and the United States. The most prominent figure was EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. On 10 February the EU listed the Russian concessions it says are needed for a sustainable peace in Ukraine. Her remarks on concessions to Russia drew a sharp reaction in the West on 11 February, and Western media assessed her anti-Russian remarks and diplomatic record. On 15 February she urged Europe to regain its will and pushed back against US criticism of Europe.
Baltic leaders set out their own positions. On 4 February Estonia's foreign minister rejected the president's call for EU talks with the Kremlin, while the Latvian and Estonian leaders backed a special EU envoy in the Ukraine talks. Lithuania's foreign minister said Europe is undefendable without the US, and Estonia's president said Europe must not test Article 5. On 6 February Estonia's foreign minister said in Kyiv that only pressure on and isolation of Russia can ensure lasting peace. On 17 February Lithuania's president said he had received no invitation to a US Board of Peace meeting.
On residents from Russia and Belarus, Lithuania weighed security against the voting rights of Russian and Belarusian residents, and on 21 February Estonia said it was prepared to tighten the temporary residence permit process for Russian and Belarusian citizens. Elsewhere, the latest release of Epstein files showed links to several prominent Lithuanian figures, and Israel asked Lithuania's parliament speaker to sign a letter nominating Trump for the Nobel Prize.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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