US Vice President Begins Baltic Tour in Estonia

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is in Estonia for talks on military support, beginning a tour of three Baltic members of NATO.

The tour comes amid requests from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania for U.S. military support in the face of Russian expansionism.

“To our allies here in Eastern Europe, we are with you, we stand with you on behalf of freedom and it is a great honor for me to be here,” Pence said Sunday.

The Baltic states have voiced concerns about Russia since its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014.

“The president has made it very clear, that Russia’s destabilizing activities, its support for rogue regimes, its activities in Ukraine are unacceptable. And the president made it very clear that very soon he will sign the sanctions from the Congress of the United States to reinforce that,” he said, adding the United States has hope the Russian government would change its behavior.

Pence’s tour of the three countries coincides with the launch of the largest joint military exercise between Georgia and the United States – the latest show of support for the small Caucasus nation that has squared off against Russia.