Baltic nations warn U.S. not to underestimate Russia threat

Foreign ministers from the Baltic states, three exposed allies on NATO’s eastern flank, visited Washington on Monday to urge Western leaders not to respond naively to Russian threats.

The envoys from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania brought a stark message to meetings with top officials a city already gripped by political infighting and fears of Kremlin intrigue.

Sven Mikser of Estonia, Edgars Rinkevics of Latvia and Linas Linkevicius of Lithuania were careful to thank President Donald Trump’s administration for its support for NATO.

But, in an interview with AFP after their joint meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the ministers shared their concerns about Russia’a “hybrid” threat to the West.