Baltic Times
April 25, 2022

Estonian PM: We need greater NATO presence in our skies, at sea, on land

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said at a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday that the Baltics need a greater NATO presence in our skies, at sea and on land.

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Kallas presented to Scholz the common goals for the NATO summit in Madrid agreed on by the three Baltic prime ministers in Riga last week. “…We count on Germany’s support for our vision, which is based on our region’s need for a significantly larger NATO presence in the skies, on land and at sea,” Kallas said.

The prime minister thanked Scholz for Germany’s leading role in ensuring the security of the Baltic states. Germany has been a NATO battlegroup framework country in Lithuania since 2017 and has increased its presence there to more than 900 troops. Germany has also…participat[ed] in the Baltic air policing mission.

At the meeting, Kallas emphasized the continued need for the complete isolation of Russia….According to the prime minister, Germany has made important decisions to provide military assistance to Ukraine….

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Kallas is also scheduled to meet with Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht in person and with Minister of Finance Christian Lindner via video bridge.