Kallas: Biden will talk to Putin about Baltic issues
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) said U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed his commitment to the security of the Baltic states at Monday's NATO summit and will raise Baltic issues at his meeting with the Russian president on Wednesday.
Speaking to ERR's Brussels correspondent, Kallas said: "U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that it is very important for him to protect the Baltic states, America is present in the Baltic states. And certainly talking to Vladimir Putin, he wants to emphasize important points for us."
ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported on Monday evening that the summit "passed in almost blissful consensus. No one considered the organization obsolete or brain dead" - a reference to comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019.
Biden confirmed the organization is still critically important to the United States. He also promised to speak about important Baltic issues on Wednesday at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
AK said the most important take-away for Estonia was that Biden confirmed Article Five - collective defense - is the sacred duty of the Allies.
"I want to make it clear: NATO is critically important to for U.S. interests, in and of itself. If it were not for NATO, we would have to invent one. It allows America to conduct its business around the world in a way that never would have occurred were it not for NATO," he said.
Before the summit, Kallas and the presidents of Latvia and Lithuania also met with Biden to discuss regional issues. After the meeting, Kallas wrote on social media that they had a "great meeting" and that "US meaningful military presence in the Baltic states is important for keeping Europe safe".
Had a great meeting with @POTUS together with my colleagues during today's #NATOSummit. I thanked President Biden for his leadership in NATO. is grateful for security assistance. US meaningful military presence in the Baltic states is important for keeping Europe safe. pic.twitter.com/1gNzL3WeBD
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) June 14, 2021
Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Estonia's priority at the NATO summit is confirmation of the unity of the allies and the full commitment of the United States to the security and collective defense of the transatlantic region.
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Editor: Helen Wright
