DISINFO: Baltic states' membership in NATO resulted in degradation of national security
SUMMARY
If in 2004 Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were secure, today they are almost on the front line. The result of membership of the Baltic states in NATO is a visible degradation of their security.
Today all efforts of the Baltic states are focused on preparation for war [against Russia]. Russia is not a threat [for the Baltic states], but Moscow is adequately answering to the provocative growth of NATO’s activities near Russia’s border.
The Baltic states are territory for exercises of foreign armies, comfort bridgehead for blitzkrieg to East, small coin in the big geopolitical game.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, portraying NATO as an aggressor and presenting the Baltic states as the puppets of the Alliance. The claim also repeats another recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO encircling Russia.
NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia. The Alliance underlined this position in the Brussels Summit Declaration in 2018. This declaration concludes that “Russia’s aggressive actions, including the threat and use of force to attain political goals and challenge the Alliance and undermining Euro-Atlantic security and the rules-based international order”.
The Alliance prepared a special defence plan for the Baltic states and Poland at their request after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. The plan was put into action in summer 2020. Earlier, in 2017, the Alliance deployed NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) forces in the Baltic states and Poland. In Lithuania (as well as in Latvia, Estonia, Poland) eFP is assessed as “the most important of the security assurance”.
The Baltic states see membership in NATO as a guarantee of their military security. For example, in Lithuania 77 per cent of the population have a favourable opinion about NATO (data from February 2020).
See similar cases: NATO strengthen its power near the border with peaceful Russia; NATO use Russian threat to justify its actions; Certain forces have encircled Russia with an explosive geopolitical belt.