Prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia call for a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas. They also announced their intention to increase defense spending and spoke in favor of the permanent presence of NATO divisions in the Baltic region against the backdrop of Russia's war against Ukraine.. This is evidenced by the joint statement of the heads of government of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia..

“At the upcoming NATO Summit in Madrid, we will seek to endorse the future NATO Strategic Concept, as well as significantly strengthen NATO’s long-term deterrence and defense solutions and NATO’s eastern flank,” the statement said..

The statement also said that in order to prevent any potential aggression, the Baltic countries need modern permanent defense solutions..

“A greater presence of ground, air and naval forces is needed. To ensure a permanent Allied presence in the Baltic States, three combat-ready divisions, one in each of the Baltic States, dedicated to collective defense and capable of integrating local national defense forces, will be required..

Lithuanian Prime Ministers Ingrida Simonyte, Latvian Krisjanis Karins and Estonian Prime Ministers Kaja Kallas said each division should include an Allied Readiness Brigade with the necessary support capabilities based on reinforced battlegroups.

The heads of government of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia also noted that they plan to continue to increase their national defense budgets to at least 2.5% of GDP..

“We will continue to work together on the procurement of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and explore other options for further coordination of capacity building activities. We will develop common procedures so that states can provide military and non-military assistance to each other or to several Baltic countries at their request,” the joint statement says..

The prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia also condemned the aggression of the Russian Federation, called on Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine and begin to comply with international law..

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Earlier it was reported that Estonia and Latvia officially recognized Russia's war against Ukraine as genocide..

Parliaments of the countries called to support the investigation of evidence of war crimes committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.