Estonian President’s State Visit to Lithuania Strengthens Baltic Defence Ties
President Alar Karis led a business delegation including several defence tech companies on a state visit to Lithuania, where he met President Gitanas Nausėda. The two heads of state signed a joint declaration consolidating their strategic partnership through 2030, with a focus on defence cooperation, energy security, and military mobility.
During the visit, the Estonian and Lithuanian defence industry associations (EDIA and LGKPA) signed a cooperation agreement, while CR14 Foundation and KappaZeta signed memoranda with Lithuanian counterparts in cyber defence and remote monitoring.
Key Developments This Week
- UAS partnership: Estonia’s Meridein Group partners with the Netherlands-based DeltaQuad to bring long-range VTOL UAV capability to the Baltic defence market, combining DeltaQuad’s European-built drones with Meridein’s regional presence
- Industry demo day: EDIA hosts a demonstration day at the Estonian Defence League’s Männiku shooting range for Tallinn City Government, with nearly 80 participants from city government, industry, and the Defence League
- Drones vs armour debate: Former CIA chief General David Petraeus commends Baltic defence spending while noting tanks “cannot survive in the kill zone” in Ukraine. Patria Latvia’s chairman counters that armoured vehicles remain essential for controlling territory
- Frankenburg investment: Warsaw-based Expeditions Fund invests €2 million in Frankenburg Technologies, acquiring a 0.54% stake. The fund has raised over €100m focused on European defence and security technologies
- French maritime cooperation: France’s Naval Group signs a cooperation agreement with Klaipėda University under the SHIELD Lab initiative to develop maritime defence solutions for the Lithuanian Navy
- US delivery delays: U.S. delays weapons deliveries to the Baltics as Pentagon reviews foreign military sales, creating uncertainty for procurement timelines
- Lithuanian air defence: Lithuanian Air Force begins receiving new NASAMS medium-range air defence systems
- US deterrence: U.S. Major General stationed in the region declares that if Russia launches aggression against Lithuania, allied forces “will dictate the terms of the battle”
Defence Industry Dimension
The Estonia-Lithuania Business Forum highlighted how the two smallest NATO members are punching above their weight — both spending over 5% of GDP on defence and developing defence industries that are increasingly attractive to global investors and prime contractors. The EDIA-LGKPA cooperation agreement formalises what has been an informal coordination, creating a more unified Baltic front for international partnerships and procurement.