The Baltic States and Europe’s Geopolitical Future

“Mr Putin will not stop until someone stops him.” So writes Baiba Braže, Latvia’s Foreign Minister. As Europe navigates one of its most turbulent geopolitical moments in decades, the voices of the countries defending NATO’s Eastern Flank have never mattered more. Join us for a compelling talk and Q&A with Minister Braže, in conversation with moderator Dr Donatas Kupčiūnas, Baltic Fellow at the Centre for Geopolitics. Minister Braže will explore the perspective of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the battlefield dynamics in Ukraine, the consequences of Russia’s war for wider Euro-Atlantic security, as well as the sub-conventional threat posed by Russia’s hybrid campaign targeting NATO allies. Minister Braže will also address the shifting dynamics within NATO and the transatlantic relationship. At a time when attention is being pulled in multiple directions, from Russia’s war in Ukraine to escalating tensions in the Middle East, Minister Braže will make the case for why these three small nations sit at the very heart of Europe’s strategic future, and why the UK and its allies cannot afford to look away. More about the speaker: Baiba Braže currently serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia. From 2020 to 2023, B.Braže held the post of Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Public Diplomacy. Within her remit, she devised and oversaw strategic communications activities across all NATO civilian and military bodies and commands. From 2016 to 2020, she was posted as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. From 2003 to 2008, B. Braže was posted as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands while also representing Latvia in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. From 1996 to 1998, she served as First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Latvia to the UN in New York. In 2015 and 2016, she was the non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Indonesia. B. Braže holds a Master’s degree in Communication Science from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Latvia and graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Latvia. She has studied political science at the Faculty of History and Philosophy of the University of Latvia and Southeast Asian and Thai Buddhism studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.