Lithuania and Estonia have become the first NATO members to meet U.S. President Donald Trump's call to raise defense spending to more than 5% of GDP, Financial Times reported on Jan. 27. Trump reiterated his demand on Jan.

Lithuania and Estonia have become the first NATO members to pledge an increase in defense spending to five percent of GDP, according to a report by the Financial Times.Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys and Estonian Prime Minister Kristan Michal confirmed their countries' commitment to strengthening defense capabilities in response to regional security concerns,

NATO is deploying eyes in the sky and on the Baltic Sea to protect cables and pipelines that stitch together the nine countries with shores on Baltic waters

This week, the Estonian authorities noted provocative ideas and gestures, potentially leading to a sharp aggravation of the military-political situation in the Baltic Sea.

Estonia's defence minister on Wednesday said ships may have to pay a fee to use the Baltic Sea to cover costs of protecting undersea cables.

As tensions rise, NATO has launched Baltic Sentry 2025 to enhance security and resilience. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized the need for greater coordination in protecting critical infrastructure from sabotage.

After a series of suspected undersea cable cuttings, NATO has launched a new surveillance and deterrence mission to protect critical infrastructure under the Baltic Sea.

U.S. troops assigned to Task Force Voit in Estonia will be doing a HIMARS live fire exercise in Tapa, less than 90 miles from the border with Russia.

NATO has said its pledge for tens of billions of dollars in security aid for Ukraine will be fulfilled by the end of 2025. The alliance announced on Wednesday that 40 billion euros ($41.6 billion) which had been agreed by the bloc's 32 members during its Washington, D.C. summit last July would be sent to Kyiv this year.

Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuania’s foreign minister, told the Financial Times that Europe was facing a “new era” after the Baltic state, which is next to Russia, said it would spend between 5 per cent and 6 per cent of its GDP on defence from next year until at least 2030. That is about double the current level.

Several undersea cables running under the surface of the Baltic Sea have been damaged in suspected sabotage incidents in recent months.

The proportion of NATO nations meeting the two percent benchmark has skyrocketed since 2022. Today, some members are aiming even higher.