Russia's invasion of Ukraine made the Baltic countries begin to voice their concerns. The reason is, it is not impossible if Russia expands attacks on its territory.
Quoted from CNBC, countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were mentioned as the next target countries after Ukraine. These countries are neighbors of Russia, which is also a member of the European Union (EU) as well as the North Atlantic Defense Alliance (NATO). In other words, the three countries are opponents of the Russian side.
"Deterrence is no longer enough and we need more defense here. Because if not, Putin will not stop in Ukraine, he will not stop," said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda during a visit by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
"If you want to avoid a third world war. The choice is ours," he added.
Latvian Foreign Minister, Edgars Rinkevics, asked NATO to expand its troop presence in the country. This will give the country a sense of security.
"Public opinion and decision-making of policymakers have shifted with respect to military deployments, noting that we now need the permanent deployment of NATO forces, including US troops, on our soil," Edgars said.
However, this idea was previously presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.