Washington approves $228 million in US military aid to the three Baltic states, Estonia says

HELSINKI (AP) — Estonia’s defense officials say the U.S. Congress has passed a bill that involves a total of $228 million in military and defense aid to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this year under the Baltic Security Initiative. The U.S. government funding legislation including military aid to the three Baltic countries was approved by lawmakers on Friday. All three nations are NATO members and neighbors of Russia. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said Saturday that the financial aid enables fast-tracking several military infrastructure and capability development projects in the Baltic region. The Baltic Security Initiative was created in 2020. The U.S. Defense Department supports developing military capability and interoperability of the armed forces of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.