Report to Congress on the U.S. Baltic Relations

January 10, 2025 2:44 PM

The following is the Jan. 7, 2024, Congressional Research Service report, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania: Background and U.S.-Baltic Relations.

From the report

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, often referred to as the Baltic states, are democracies and close U.S. allies. Strong U.S. relations with these three states are rooted in history. The United States never recognized the Soviet Union’s forcible incorporation of the Baltic states in 1940, and U.S. officials welcomed the restoration of their independence in 1991. The United States supported the Baltic states’ accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) in 2004. Congress backed their NATO and EU integration on a bipartisan basis.
Regional Security and Foreign Policy Concerns

Since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, potential threats posed to the Baltic states by Russia have driven increased U.S. and congressional interest in the region. Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine has intensified U.S. and NATO concerns about the potential threat of Russian military action against the Baltic states. The Baltic states have strongly supported Ukraine, including by providing military assistance and imposing sanctions against Russia that go beyond those adopted by the EU. The Baltic states have been increasing their defense spending and seeking to build up their military capabilities, although their defense planning continues to rely heavily on their NATO membership. The Baltic states exceed NATO’s target for member states to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on defense.

The Baltic states have experienced various hybrid warfare attacks, attributed predominantly to Russia but also to China. Hybrid threats to the Baltic states include disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, sabotage, and weaponized migration. The Baltic states have sought to strengthen their societal resilience to hybrid threats, and NATO leaders have sought to increase member countries’ cooperation on countering hybrid warfare tactics.

Due to concerns about Russia using energy dependence as political and economic leverage, the Baltic states have taken steps to end their past energy reliance on Russia, including through a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Lithuania and pipeline interconnections with European neighbors. The Baltic states ended Russian gas imports in 2022.

Various factors, including China’s support for Russia, have contributed to the development of a more skeptical view of China in the Baltic states. In 2021-2022, the Baltic states quit the 17+1, a forum China launched to deepen cooperation with countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
U.S. Relations, Defense Cooperation, and Issues for Congress
The United States and the Baltic states cooperate closely on defense and security issues for the purposes of building capacity to deter and resist potential Russian aggression. In FY2023 and FY2024 combined, Congress appropriated more than $450 million in U.S. Department of Defense security assistance funding to the Baltic states through the Baltic Security Initiative. Congress also appropriates security assistance funding through the Foreign Military Financing program.

The United States has enhanced its military presence in Central and Eastern Europe since 2014, with rotational U.S. forces conducting training and exercises in the Baltic states and a persistent rotational presence of U.S. forces in Lithuania since 2019. Bilateral defense cooperation roadmaps signed in 2023 conveyed the U.S. intention to maintain a persistent rotational presence of military personnel in each of the three countries. NATO also has helped bolster the Baltic states’ security. In 2017, NATO deployed multinational Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroups to the Baltic states. NATO countries have developed plans to expand the battlegroups over the next two to three years. Baltic leaders have advocated for further enhancements to the U.S. and NATO deployments.
Some Members of Congress may have an interest in assessing U.S. security assistance to the Baltic states; regional security threats and related U.S. defense policies and commitments; regional energy security and related U.S. policies; and regional relations with China in the context of concerns about China’s influence and activities in Europe.

Download the document here.

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