Joint Statement by the Defence Ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland

We, the Ministers of Defence of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, met today to discuss and coordinate our efforts in building a defence line along the Eastern border.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has shown that creating physical obstacles on an open ground with no natural defensive cover is paramount even in technologically advanced warfare.

As the threats at our frontier are increasingly growing, ramping up fortifications along the border with Russia and Belarus remains a high-priority contributing to our pledge to defend every inch of Allied territory. Acknowledging the significance and urgency of this initiative, we reaffirm our political commitment to drive the project forward and further coordinate and align our approaches at all levels.

Recognizing that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are at the frontline of safeguarding the external borders of NATO and the EU against hybrid and conventional threats, we agreed to work closely in both organizations to raise awareness of the collective significance of this initiative and to make use of the instruments of NATO and the EU in support of strengthening the border.

We strongly condemn Russia regarding the repeated violations of NATO airspace by military drones and missiles. This emerging reality demands serious attention and cannot be ignored. We agreed to actively engage with Allies to deliver immediate and persistent collective solutions to counter UAV threat, as well as to implement the Rotational Model as stated at the Washington Summit.