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Trump To Host Baltic Leaders At White House Summit


'We Stand Together' - Pence Reaffirms U.S. Commitment To Baltic States
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U.S. President Donald Trump will host the leaders of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in a Baltic Summit on April 3, the White House has said.

Officials on February 23 said the meeting will "focus on how best to strengthen our security, business, trade, energy, and cultural partnerships" with "important allies."

Scheduled to attend are Presidents Kersti Kaljulaid of Estonia, Raimonds Vejonis of Latvia, and Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania.

In a statement, Trump said he will use the event to help the Baltic heads of state celebrate the 100th anniversary of their countries' independence.

The Baltic states were part of the Russian empire before declaring independence in 1918. They were independent until 1940, when they were occupied by the Soviet Union and annexed in an act never officially recognized by the United States.

The countries regained their independence in 1991 and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.

The Baltic states have expressed concerns about Moscow's intentions in the region, especially since Russia's seizure and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

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