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Worsening security situation in Eastern Europe could affect Baltic States: official

As the Kremlin does not seem too convinced at backing out from what comes across as an imminent invasion on Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda’s aide Jakub Kumoch warns that the conflict might spin out of Ukraine’s boundaries and affect the Baltic States as well.

No Russian zone of influence in Ukraine: Polish President

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“The security situation in Eastern Europe spins out of the limits of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and might affect other states as well,” Mr Kumoch said following Thursday’s meeting with his Baltic State counterparts in Vilnius. “Poland is, clearly enough, in the best situation, whereas countries such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would likely require the largest amount of help and solidarity from their allies.”

Baltic States exposed to Russian hybrid attacks

The aide said that the Vilnius consultations tackled matters “of possibly the largest concern for the Baltic States, which is their exposition to Russian attacks, hybrid ones for the most part, that could follow should the situation in
Ukraine escalate.”

Having taken part in the meeting as well, the head of the National Security Bureau (BBN) Paweł Soloch said that “some proposals will be conferred to” President Duda, he did not reveal further details though. Mr Soloch said that the topic would be discussed on Friday by the National Security Council.

“Our plans are prepared, first and foremost, within the… NATO framework… We, Poland and the Baltic States, focus on having our relations built within the Transatlantic network, meaning that this, as always, includes the US and Europe, and also in accord with the rule ‘nothing about us without us’,” Mr Soloch said.

Poland stays true to its NATO obligations

For his part, Mr Kumoch said that “Poland is an ally of all Baltic States within the NATO framework, stays true to its NATO obligations,” and would continue doing so. He also went on to stress that “Poland and the Baltic States played a crucial role in convincing western allies to take on an assertive approach towards Russia, convincing them that making concessions to Russia… will result in more demands.”

“We support peaceful coexistence with Russia. We are the least interested in this conflict escalating. However, we comprehend how to handle such talks so that they are efficient, and how to fix the relations with Russia in an efficacious way,” Mr Kumoch said.

According to Mr Soloch, the situation in Belarus was also discussed in Vilnius because of the topic’s high importance in the context of the nearing of exercises by Belarus’ military and the Russian troops’ presence on the country’s territory.

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