Baltic States in June 2026: the most important developments in politics
In June 2026 the politics of the Baltic states were dominated by Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief. On 11 June it was reported that EU countries were moving to remove her from her position and strip her of diplomatic powers. On 12 June she came under fire after reportedly calling Israel an "apartheid" state, and several member states criticized her remarks. On 16 June China's Foreign Ministry accused her of slander over her claims about Chinese military support for Russia's war in Ukraine, and Beijing called the allegations unfounded. On 18 June Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar vowed to cut ties with her, and Kallas called for dialogue. On 30 June she was reported to face criticism for missteps and power struggles, and she called Turkey a "key partner" during an EU visit to Ankara.
In Lithuania the government changed. President Gitanas Nausėda welcomed the Social Democrats' decision to change the coalition on 6 June. On 16 June Sinkevičius said he would become prime minister after a reshuffle, and the incoming leader questioned sanctions on Belarus. Parliament approved the new prime minister on 30 June. Lithuania also allowed Beijing to open a chargé d'affaires office, which critics called "a bow to China", and it was in a diplomatic row with Poland.
In Estonia, EKRE leader Martin Helme downplayed a poll slump ahead of the coming parliamentary election. The prime minister said the coalition would not collapse before the 2027 elections, and parliament is due to vote for a new president on 2 September. The leader of Eesti 200 said Estonia cannot cut its budget deficit early while the war in Ukraine continues.
On security, Baltic and Nordic prime ministers met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Tallinn on 9 June, and no new commitments were announced. Estonia asked the United States to reconsider missile supplies, and Poland and the Baltic states were reported to be competing to host more US military bases. Latvia's prime minister told Russia "there are no jokes with us".
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.