On July 7th to July 8th, the 2026 NATO Summit will take place in Ankara, Turkey. Member states will gather to discuss the improvements made since last year's summit, as well as some of the most pressing issues continuing to impact the alliance and global governance.

Russia’s ability to obstruct regional and global stability has been made clear through its conventional methods of warfare. The annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 both highlight Russia’s capacity to destabilize through use of military force. Russia, however, has exerted its influence on the global community through use of unconventional tactics, often signified as hybrid warfare.

On June 3-4, JBANC was in attendance at the 2026 Riga StratCom Dialogue. Hosted by the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence, the annual dialogue brings together the leading experts in strategic communications, information sharing, and media governance. This year's dialogue went beyond discussions of the widespread use of information warfare for contemporary conflict. In a time where conflict can become digitalized and cognition can be weaponized, what impact does this have on the wellbeing of society?

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, airspace activity in the Baltic region has become a recurring feature of the security environment along NATO’s Eastern Flank. In 2025 alone, Russia tested NATO airspace at least 18 times through unauthorized aircraft activity and reported drone incursions across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

On Thursday, April 29 the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) hosted a virtual panel  discussion on Latvia’s priorities at the UN Security Council (UNSC), its candidacy campaign, and its evolving role at the UN. The three panelists were Aivis Kļavinskis, Political Coordinator representing  the Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations; Kaspars Germanis from the Centre of Geopolitical Studies and whose publications have focused on Latvia at the UN; and Markuss  Kozlinskis from the Centre for East European Policy Studies, former Researcher at JBANC and co author of E10&UNSC: 12 Rules for Campaigning and Membership. 

Amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the region, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania remain firmly committed towards upholding North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) values with active participation in international cooperative security efforts. This is demonstrated through the Baltic Sentry, a joint NATO defense initiative to promote enhanced security, deterrence, and military mobilization in the Baltic Sea.

Last week, the Baltic States received alarming reports from Washington, DC, with outlets like The Financial Times and The Washington Post stating that the Trump administration intends to halt long-time security assistance programs for Europe.

The red carpet extended from the runway to the podium with F-22 Raptors flanking on either side. Air Force One was parked on the tarmac of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson with the beautiful Chugach Mountains visible in the background. President Trump waited on the red carpet and greeted Vladimir Putin, with the two men walking side by side to the podium. Putin had received a welcome befitting that of a leader of a global superpower.

The 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague was the first major meeting of the Alliance since President Donald Trump returned to office, drawing heightened attention across Europe and North America, including in Baltic and Ukrainian communities abroad. This gathering came at a moment of growing unease among alliance leaders—uncertainty over how far they were willing to go in supporting Ukraine, and how much more could be asked of the alliance without risking internal fracture.

On June 3, Latvia won election to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), securing a non-permanent seat for the 2026–2027 term. Latvia received 178 votes – well above the 129 needed for a two-thirds majority of the 193 UN members. This marks Latvia’s first time on the Council, following in the footsteps of its Baltic neighbors Estonia (2020–2021) and Lithuania (2014–2015).