Baltic states close borders to Russians over Ukraine war
The three Baltic states neighboring Russia have closed their borders to most Russians, saying the move is to protect the security of the three European Union nations
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The three Baltic states neighboring Russia closed their borders on Monday to most Russians in response to the wide public support in Russia for its war on Ukraine.
The decision was reached earlier this month by the prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and of Poland, which borders Kaliningrad — a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, surrounded by Lithuania and Poland — saying the move would protect the security of the three European Union nations.
“Russia is an unpredictable and aggressive state. Three quarters of its citizens support the war. It is unacceptable that people who support the war can freely travel around the world, into Lithuania, the EU," Lithuania's Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said Monday.
"These are also security aspects, because such support for hostilities can pose threats to the security of our country and the EU as a whole,” she said.
