We could be next: Fearful Baltic states urge Nato for more troops ahead of Madrid summit

‘We see Russia’s war in Ukraine as an existential threat to all of us not just Ukraine,’ a senior figure in Estonia tells Bel Trew

Paratroopers taking part in a military exercise over Estonia (AP)

On the eve of the Nato summit, Baltic states are urging the military alliance to increase the number of troops earmarked to defend their corner of Europe against Russia to as many as 25,000 after secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg promised the “biggest overhaul of its collective deterrence and defence since the Cold War”.

Top of the agenda is Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine which has sparked a geopolitical shift, even prompting once neutral countries Finland and Sweden to apply to join Nato.

Among the most rattled are Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, countries which have repeatedly and separately urged Nato to upgrade its presence in the Baltic region, warning they could be next to be invaded,