Blinken wraps up Baltic assurance tour as Ukraine war rages

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is wrapping up a short tour of the three Baltic states aimed at reassuring the former Soviet republics that NATO will guarantee their security as Russia’s war with Ukraine rolls on unabated

TALLINN, Estonia -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up the last leg Tuesday of a short tour of the three Baltic states aimed at reassuring the former Soviet republics that NATO will guarantee their security as Russia’s war with Ukraine rolls on unabated.

Blinken met with senior Estonian officials in Tallinn, a day after hearing appeals from both Lithuania and Latvia for more support and greater U.S. and NATO troop presence to deter a feared Russian intervention.

"We will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of our collective power,” Blinken said, noting that the U,S. and other allies were already stepping up their presence in the alliance's eastern flank members like the Baltics.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas urged Blinken to support creating a “permanent and meaningful" NATO deployment in the Baltics. She called Russia “a very aggressive neighbor that we have suffered under" and one that needed to be punished for its actions in Ukraine.