“The Perfect Allies”: Examining the US-Baltic Relationship Under the Trump Administration

Despite public statements promising increased support for Ukraine against Russia and a restoration of European hard power, many of the United States’ major allies still miss the North Atlantic Treaty Organization military spending benchmark of 2 percent of gross domestic product. Since his first term, President Donald Trump has castigated these nations and their leaders for “freeloading” on American defense spending.

But the Baltic states, which face the greatest threat from Russian aggression, have consistently held up their end of the bargain, providing an outsized amount of support for Ukraine and maintaining their military strength despite their relatively small economies.

With global threats to freedom on the rise and America’s security commitments growing uncertain, join Luke Coffey and a panel of Baltic security experts for a discussion on the future of US-Baltic relations in the second Trump administration.

Organized by The Hudson Institute.

Speakers:

Amb. Kalev Stoicescu

Chairman of the National Defence Committee, Estonian Parliament

Amb Eitvydas Bajarūnas

Visiting Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis

Olevs Nikers

President, Baltic Security Foundation

Luke Coffey

Senior Fellow, Center on Europe and Eurasia

Inquiries: tmagnuson@hudson.org