Fourteen countries begin exercises off Scotland designed to reassure Putin’s Nato neighbours, as Nordic countries announce new defence alliance against Russia.  READ MORE

Vilnius was the focus for foreign policy experts in February with its hosting of the increasingly well regarded Snow Meeting and Vilnius Forum of Intellectuals. But in April, international experts are increasingly turning their eyes to Tallinn, which will be hosting the 8th Eight Lennart Meri conference on April 24-26. READ MORE

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with the U.S. House Armed Services Committee chairman and its members to discuss military, economic and energy cooperation between Lithuania and the United States, the current security situation in Europe as well as the situation in Ukraine. READ MORE

Russian military exercises, the latest in a series across the country, have taken on a threatening posture. While the most recent installment is not the largest exercise Russia has conducted, the areas involved and the forces included seem to have been deliberately chosen to send a warning to NATO; the exercise itself seems to simulate a full-scale confrontation with NATO through the forward deployment of nuclear armed submarines, theater ballistic missiles and strategic bomber aircraft. Strategic weapon systems, including assets that are part of Russia’s nuclear capabilities, have also been deployed to locations near NATO’s borders. READ MORE