The meeting comes after recent comments from the new U.S. administration about reducing its military presence in Europe as well as speculation about a weakening of the Transatlantic alliance.

A readout from the State Department after the visit said Rubio stressed the USA's "strong ties to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia and reinforced our commitment to Baltic security."

"The Secretary welcomed their earnest contributions to European collective security through increased defense spending and burden sharing," said spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

"The Secretary also emphasized President Trump's determination to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," she added.

Last week, Rubio signed an agreement to continue U.S. military financing to all three Baltic states. 

First Estonian-U.S. meeting

Today's meeting was the first high-level meeting between a representative of Estonia and a member of the new US administration.

Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said he thanked his counterpart for the U.S.' contribution to regional security.

"Years of security assistance and the presence of rotating U.S. troops in the Baltic States boost our deterrence and defence posture and help maintain peace in the region and beyond," Tsahkna said.

He highlighted Estonia's high defense spending and support for NATO allies setting a new target at this year's summit. The U.S. is pushing European members to significantly up their spending.

Estonia currently spends more on defense than the USA. "Right now, we are matching every dollar invested by the USA in Estonia's security with 12 dollars to our defence budget," Tsahkna noted.

The meeting included in-depth discussions on Russia's aggression against Ukraine, with Tsahkna highlighting the peace efforts of the United States. However, he said Russia's recent "brutal attacks" against Ukraine show Moscow is not ready for peace.

The foreign minister said it was important to continue military assistance to Ukraine while putting economic pressure on Russia. He also stressed the importance of sanctions and using Russia's frozen assets.

Tsahkna said that a strong transatlantic bond had ensured security and economic prosperity in both Europe and the United States for decades and Estonia was committed to maintaining and developing that bond.

"In recent months, Europe has taken decisive steps to increase defence investments and develop defence capabilities, which boosts collective defence and helps us face challenges together," the minister said.

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