Alarm signal from three NATO countries: Prepare for Putin to change direction of attack. It awakens our darkest memories

NATO must be prepared for Russia to launch an “existential” war against the Baltic states, “masked by a wave of disinformation”, diplomats of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have warned in the UK, in a joint message in the context of the fulfillment 20 years since their countries joined the North Atlantic Alliance.

Diplomats from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, based in the UK, wrote in an ext exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph that Russia could quickly change direction of attack from Ukraine to invade the Baltic Sea area. They said the invasion of Ukraine evokes for the three countries the darkest memories of the occupation under Stalin.

Ambassador of Estonia, Viljar Lubi, Ambassador of Latvia, Ivita Burmistre, and Lina Zigmantaite, Minister responsible for the affairs of Lithuania, sent this joint message to mark the 20th anniversary of their countries’ accession to NATO. The diplomats said that joining the alliance meant for their countries a feeling of collective security “like they never had before”. But “neither have we faced a more daunting threat than the one now,” they added.

In an appeal to other European countries that downplayed the risk of Russian attack, they wrote: “Our warnings of the latent and growing threat from the East were too easily dismissed in some Allied capitals. We knew then, as we know today, that only collective defense can guarantee security in Europe. We lacked this in the 1930s and paid a heavy price; one that the Ukrainians are paying now.”

The three diplomats referred to the “torments” experienced by the people of Ukraine, who are going through horrors in the form of “deportations, torture, child abductions” and “cultural erasure”, thus awakening their countries’ “darkest memories and fears”. – an apparent reference to the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, which began in 1940.

Warning that Russia may again try to invade their countries, they added in their message: “We are aware that Russia’s war economy and its combat-ready military can quickly pivot from south to west. We agree with intelligence assessments that a major strategic challenge to our defense and deterrence could arise in as little as three years or less.We on the eastern side of the Baltic Sea have few natural borders and nowhere to we withdraw”.

With countries already subject to “hybrid” attacks such as cyber warfare on a daily basis, diplomats warned that an “existential challenge to their independence may initially appear ambiguous, masked by a wave of disinformation and other confusion”. “Under these circumstances, confusion means defeat. Therefore, we – and our allies – must be prepared to respond quickly, convincingly and effectively to all kinds of threats,” said the three diplomats, who called for “faster” taking decisions in NATO to deter Russia They also demanded that all NATO members invest in forces and equipment to ensure that the alliance’s defense plans become a reality.

The ambassadors said the Baltic states’ “frontline” position meant they were ready to fight to defend “every inch and every soul”. “And NATO must do the same,” they emphasized. The diplomats also emphasized that the NATO leadership needs a “strong Britain”.

Referring to Ukraine, they said Russia must not be “allowed to win”. The ambassadors stated that Ukraine’s future accession to NATO will not only protect the country from Russian aggression, but also strengthen the alliance because “as a battle-hardened ally, Ukraine will contribute significantly to our security.” “A clear path for Ukraine’s accession must be a priority for the Washington Summit this summer,” they wrote.

The ambassadors’ intervention comes at a time of heightened concern about Ukraine’s ability to stand up to Russia. A $60 billion package of US military aid to Ukraine remains stuck in Congress. At the same time, NATO members are trying to prepare for the possible re-election of Donald Trump, who has previously talked about the idea of ​​withdrawing the US from the alliance.

Publisher: GM