US assures nervous Baltics of NATO protection against Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a lightning visit to the three Baltic states that are increasingly on edge as they watch Russia press ahead with its invasion of Ukraine

VILNIUS, Lithuania -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday assured Lithuania of NATO protection and American support as he began a lightning visit to the three Baltic states that are increasingly on edge as Russia presses ahead with its invasion of Ukraine.

The former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are all NATO members and Blinken is aiming to reassure them of their security in the event Russia chooses to expand its military operations.

"We are bolstering our shared defense so that we and our allies are prepared," Blinken said, stressing that the U.S. commitment to NATO's mutual defense pact is "sacrosanct,"

“We will defend every inch of NATO territory if it comes under attack,” he said. “No one should doubt our readiness, no one should doubt our resolve.”