Baerbock said that the Baltics have been monitoring events in Russia with great attention and concern for years and drawn the necessary conclusions. She listed, next to defense contributions, investments in energy security, IT infrastructure and media resilience to hostile propaganda.

"I want to listen to their experience and point of view attentively," Baerbock told the German media before leaving on the visit.

The foreign minister promised the three NATO partners that Germany will offer more support in the future, emphasizing the Bundeswehr's leading role in Lithuania.

"We are prepared to do more to ensure our partners' security. We will defend every square centimeter of allied territory in an emergency," Baerbock assured.

Even though the German government has been criticized for its unenthusiastic support of Ukraine, Baerbock promised to assure the Baltics that Germany realizes the new security reality and its potential consequences during her visit.

She added that the German government is supporting Ukraine with arms and money and will maintain its tough sanctions policy against Vladimir Putin's regime.

"To make sure our partners can count on us, Germany will be ramping up its own defense and contributing to the reshaping of European security," the foreign minister said.

Baerbock warned that Putin, in unleashing the Ukraine war, does not care about human lives, international law or the Russian people's right to life and development.

"He destroyed a large chunk of the European security architecture that we have built over the last few decades and that served as a security guarantee, especially for our friends in Eastern Europe," Baerbock said.

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