In this month of July, franceinfo is interested in the new diplomatic situation born of the Russian invasion. Today, spotlight on Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia which have succeeded in making their voices heard a little more in Europe.
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In 2004, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are among the countries which integrate the European Union. But for 18 years, they struggle to feel legitimate. Small states, they don’t really manage to make themselves heard, and even less on the subject of Russia.
In fact, it is above all since last February 24 and the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that the Baltic countries have really found their place in European dialogue, according to Céline Bayou, lecturer at Inalco and researcher specializing in the Baltic countries: “Now they are really listened to, they are now really taken seriously whereas perhaps some previously tended to say that there was a Russophobia which may be explained by a historical trauma because they themselves were occupied by the Soviet Union after 1945.”
“There we really take them as being countries which initially were not mistaken, had seen correctly in their appreciation of the developments in Russia and that raises their rank on the European scene.”
Céline Bayou, researcher specializing in the Baltic countriesat franceinfo
Each state occupies this new political space in its own way. Estonia, for example, chooses the media scene. At least its Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, has unofficially become the spokesperson for the Baltic countries. She is very present on television sets. On March 9, in front of the European Parliament, she called for more support and solidarity towards Ukraine, by recounting her own journey: “I know a little about the generosity of strangers. As many of you know, I am the daughter of deportees sent by Stalin to Siberia. My mother was only six months old when she was deported”.
Lithuania, for its part, does not skimp on sanctions against Russia. “Lithuania is the first country to declare that it no longer buys electricity, oil or gas from Russia at all, explains Celine Bayou. The EU as a whole is not there yet, and it costs it very, very dearly because it is highly dependent on it. has no natural energy resources on its territory.”
The Baltic countries are also taking a security risk. After this decision by Vilnius, Moscow has already set the tone by evoking “serious“retaliations against Lithuania.