Description: The three Baltic states have announced that a joint defense plan was set in motion which would envisage the construction of a 1,000km defensive line to prevent potential Russian invasion. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are jointly set to invest more than $70 million in the defensive plan in light of a possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Military and defense experts from the Baltics have warned that Russia would significantly utilize a potential peace agreement to rearm and buildup its military capacities which would make it eligible for another invasion. Warnings coming from Scandinavian intelligence services indicated that Russia would be ready in the next five years for an all-out confrontation with multiple adversary countries that share a border with. The Baltic states have projected an estimate 10-year period to complete the defense deterrence project, however, many expressed concerns of a late reaction to potential Russian aggression.
Impact: Ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, countries that share a border with the invading force have expressed high levels of concerns regarding their territorial sovereignty and security. The war in Ukraine has instigated a perpetual arms race where countries seamlessly raise defense expenditures which has put the entire European continent in a proverbial crisis mode. The objective threat of continued Russian invasion for the time being persist, although, the evident crippled Russian capacities make the invasion by Russian forces on neighboring countries a prospect of negative strategic value. The most severe risk is the stranding of US – EU relations and Trump’s hazardous foreign policy methods which continue to fuel Europe’s defense industry. The Baltic states as part of the initial line of defense would most probably raise defense capabilities in the short to mid term period as they also face continuous hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea.