A ceasefire in Ukraine will dramatically increase the security threat to Baltic nations, as Russia will proceed with plans to re-arm and redeploy troops to Nato’s north-eastern flank, the region’s defence ministers have warned. 

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which were annexed by the Soviet Union before regaining independence in the 1990s, are worried that Moscow will not stop at Ukraine once the Trump administration brokers a ceasefire. The Baltic nations point out that the Kremlin has already laid out plans for increased military production and additional troops along their borders.

“We all understand that when the war in Ukraine will be stopped, Russia will redistribute its forces very quickly,” Estonian defence minister Hanno Pevkur told the Financial Times. “That means also the threat level will increase significantly very quickly.”