On 22 May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized Russia's aggressive public campaign against the Baltic states as "concerning" at a NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Sweden. He said that "you always worry that something like that can spark into something bigger," the US Department of State reports.
Recently, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, claimed that Ukraine was “launching drones from the territory” of Baltic countries, including Latvia. He also threatened Latvia with retaliation, even though the country is a NATO member.
"We understand these countries feel threatened by it, obviously, for obvious reasons. So it’s a concerning thing because you always worry that something like that can spark into something bigger," Rubio stated.
NATO allies discuss Russian threats against Baltic states ahead of Ankara summit
"We’re obviously engaged in – with our Allies in NATO on that regard in terms of what’s happening, and we keep up to date," he said.
He did not characterize the Russian rhetoric as a violation of NATO commitments, did not commit to specific protective measures for the Baltic states beyond unspecified "talks" with NATO.
The Helsingborg meeting is the last senior-level NATO ministerial before the alliance's Ankara summit in July 2026, PBS News reported.
Russia threatens NATO member Latvia over alleged Ukrainian drones launches
Russia's UN Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia claimed earlier this week that Ukraine "launches drones from the territory" of Baltic states, specifically naming Latvia, and threatened Latvia with a retaliatory strike, UNIAN reported.
Latvia is a NATO member state, covered by Article 5 mutual-defense provisions. Meanwhile, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has stated that Russia is attempting to redirect Ukrainian military drones toward NATO countries.
Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Russia's public threats against the European Union's Baltic member states "absolutely unacceptable." She assigned direct responsibility for endangering eastern-flank populations to Russia and Belarus.
