US think tank suggests creating Baltic nuclear weapons free zone

Photo: Topham Picturepoint / SCANPIX

According to a report published by the U.S. think tank Stimson Center on Tuesday, the danger of nuclear war in the Baltic-Nordic region is small, but it could be reduced further by setting up a nuclear weapons free zone which would be managed by neutral countries in the region.

«There are significant ethnic Russian populations in Estonia and Latvia with a history of disagreements and some conflict with the national governments. Any armed conflict between a Russian secessionist movement and a Baltic government could provide Russia an excuse for military intervention, which could easily devolve into a war with NATO and a risk of nuclear use,» it is written in the report.

Although the risk of such conflicts and nuclear use is small, it is essential to reduce these dangers even further, the report says and suggests to «strengthen NATO's conventional military capabilities to defend the Baltic nations as to deter Russia from intervening in those nations» as well as to initiate a diplomatic dialogue about creating a Baltic nuclear weapons free zone.

«Implementing such a zone would necessitate removal of Russian weapons from Kaliningrad and NATO nuclear weapons from Germany; all other nations bordering the Baltic are already nuclear free,» it is written in the report.