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(Karl-Heikki Jõks/JBANC) – 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the tragic Great Flight (Mass Flight), being commemorated by Estonians this year. The circumstances affected not only Estonians but also Latvians and Lithuanians. In 1944, with the return of Soviet occupation to the Baltic states, hundreds of thousands of Estonians, Latvians,Continue Reading

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Baltic Way 35 participants in Washington, DC August 23, 2024.

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On August 23, the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC), the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, the embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and about 100 participants gathered on McPherson Square outside the Victims of Communism Museum in Washington, DC, to celebrate 35 years since the Baltic Way, and to commemorate Black Ribbon Day. Thirty-fiveContinue Reading

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From left: Estonian Ambassador Kristjan Prikk, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, Acting Assistant Secretary of State Yuri Kim, JBANC Managing Director Karl Altau, Latvian Ambassador Māris Selga, Lithuanian embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Artūras Vazbys

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On July 23, 2024, the annual commemoration of the Welles Declaration took place in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, DC. The Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur and Acting Assistant Secretary of State Yuri Kim took part, together with the embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It was the 84th anniversaryContinue Reading

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Washington, DC (JBANC) – Thirty-three members of the United States Congress have signed a letter to the House Appropriations Committee supporting $350 million in funding for the Baltic Security Initiative for the Fiscal Year 2025 defense appropriations bill. The bipartisan letter, sponsored by House Baltic Caucus co-chairs Don Bacon (R-NE)Continue Reading

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Baltic Advocacy Days consists of meetings coordinated by the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) between constituents and offices of the United States Congress to further the ties between the U.S. and the Baltic states. Meetings typically last approximately 20 -30 minutes with a goal of at least two-three meetingsContinue Reading

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Two years have passed since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, and the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) continues to recognize the bravery of the Ukrainian people and works towards supporting Ukraine’s ultimate victory. For ten years, Ukraine has resisted Russian imperialism and continues to fight forContinue Reading

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The Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) condemns the Russian government’s murder of Alexei Navalny, a courageous Kremlin critic, anti-corruption activist, and Russian opposition leader. This disturbing case underscores Vladimir Putin’s continued erosion of human rights and the rule of law, both at home and abroad. The silencing of dissidentsContinue Reading

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The Central and East European Coalition (CEEC), representing more than 20 million Americans of Central and Eastern European descent, reiterates its unequivocal support for the people of Ukraine and their ability to defend their territory. Russia’s barbaric actions not only violate human rights and the American-led rules-based order, but theyContinue Reading

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There will be much focus on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2024. One highlight will be the 75th-anniversary Summit, to be held in Washington, DC from July 9-11. This follows in the footsteps of the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. For the Baltic countries, this meant increasedContinue Reading

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Three focal points have dominated in the United States Congress over the past two months: Congressman Mike Johnson from Louisiana seemed to have come out of nowhere to assume the Speakership after the abrupt departure of Kevin McCarthy on October 3 following the successful “motion to vacate” vote to removeContinue Reading

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Jack Rosswurm is currently earning his Master of Arts in European Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he is studying liberalism in the EU and European integration. Since beginning to learn Estonian in the Summer of 2022, Jack has found a special interest in the Baltic states. After Russia launched its renewed unprovokedContinue Reading

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The Central and East European Coalition (CEEC) was established in 1994 and is currently composed of fifteen active national, membership-based organizations representing Americans from Armenian, Belarusan, Croatian, Estonian, Georgian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, and Ukrainian descent. The CEEC represents over 20 million Americans with heritage from the CEEContinue Reading

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This year’s hybrid Baltic Advocacy Days event was a success! With 44 registered participants, BAD was hosted from July 17-21 by JBANC. 25 meetings with the congressional offices of 13 different states were held in the United States Congress, both virtually and in-person. Out of all the meetings, New YorkContinue Reading

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The short-lived June 23-24 Russian mutiny led by the Wagner Group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin placed the instability of Russia on full display, from the uncertain domestic military response to the coup attempt to the dissonance of Putin’s message labeling Prigozhin and Wagner as traitors.  The fact remains that the Wagner GroupContinue Reading

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Register now for Baltic Advocacy Days! Our 2023 Baltic Advocacy Days are happening this year on July 20-21. In 2022, we were virtual, and this year it will be a hybrid event, meaning that we’ll have in-person meetings on July 20, with virtual meetings possible during the week. The in-personContinue Reading

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Four Members Join House Baltic Caucus. We are thrilled to welcome four new members to the #HouseBalticCaucus! Warm greetings to Representatives Mike Quigley (D-Illinois), Chris Pappas (D-New Hampshire), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), and Pat Fallon (R-Texas). Thank you for supporting strong U.S.-Baltic ties! Rep. Quigley, the longest-serving member of the group, isContinue Reading

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The Central and East European Coalition (CEEC) held a congressional advocacy day on April 26 to discuss issues of critical importance related to the CEE region. Over 40 advocates from our communities in the United States came to Capitol Hill to take part in targeted meetings with over 20 keyContinue Reading

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The JBANC team participated in the Ukraine Action Summit on April 24-25, 2023. The Summit is a community advocacy event in the United States Congress hosted by the American Coalition for Ukraine, a coalition of now over 60 organizations, including JBANC, that are united in their support for Ukraine’s unequivocalContinue Reading

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Advocacy Day on Wednesday, April 26 on Capitol Hill. We invite you to participate in the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC)* Advocacy Day on Wednesday, April 26 on Capitol Hill. The event will organize meetings throughout the day with Senate and House offices onsite. Meetings are an opportunity forContinue Reading

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February 24, 2023 On the first anniversary of Russia’s renewed bloody invasion of Ukraine, the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC) takes stock of where we are today one year later. The Ukrainian people bravely fight on, defending their homeland against Russia’s imperialist land seizures, genocide, and kidnapping of theirContinue Reading

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For Estonians, February 24 marks a day of celebration on the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of independence (Manifest Eestimaa rahvastele). This year, Estonia marks its 105th birthday. Freedom can never be taken for granted. Particularly during this time. This is especially tangible considering it being the first anniversary ofContinue Reading

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The central concern in 2022 for the Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) remains Russia’s war against Ukraine – a serious threat to the West. Our support for Ukraine has also prompted increased calls for additional security assistance for the Baltic countries. Baltic Security Assistance. JBANC’s focus has been the BalticContinue Reading

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Note: This report was published on the CEPA website on November 2. The US has sent considerable military aid to the three Baltic states, but much more could and should be done — a new budget debate is now underway in Congress. It is just over 30 years since theContinue Reading

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Against the backdrop of Russian aggression in Ukraine, 100 years of United States diplomatic ties with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were commemorated at the U.S. Capitol on September 13, 2022. Relations with the U.S. are ever more critical for the three countries bordering their large neighbor to the east. TheContinue Reading

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By Paul Goble – – –             One hundred years ago, the United States extended diplomatic relations to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, beginning an unbroken tradition that involved both non-recognition policy and America’s involvement with including the three Baltic republics into the most important Western alliance, NATO. Each of theseContinue Reading

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(Washington, DC) — The Central and East European Coalition calls on the 117th Congress to uphold the terms of the Budapest Memorandum and to continue supporting the enlargement of NATO during the upcoming Summit in Madrid. Along with the just-concluded Three Seas Summit and European Union Council and G-7 meetingsContinue Reading

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Registration for the 5th Baltic Advocacy Days is now open! All meetings will be held virtually, spanning the week of May 2-6, 2022. Deadline for registering as a participant is April 13, 2022. This timely event is an opportunity for Baltic Americans to come together and engage with Congress aboutContinue Reading

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The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) vehemently condemns Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and its blatant breach of international law. It is not only an existential menace for Ukraine, but Moscow’s destabilizing belligerency endangers the region, Europe, and the global democratic order.   The United States and itsContinue Reading

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The Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) is supporting the latest American Latvian Association (ALA) Call to Action. If you are a registered voter in the United States, please take time to voice your concerns to your elected representatives on the current developments and coming legislation concerning the Baltic region.Continue Reading

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On January 4, 2022, the Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden to address the situation regarding Ukraine and the massive Russian military buildup along its border, along with escalating threats of a renewed invasion. The Kremlin menace impinges the security situationContinue Reading

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(Washington, DC) — The Central and East European Coalition (CEEC) voices deep concern regarding provocations manufactured by the Lukashenka regime in Belarus – with the active support of the Russian Federation – along Belarus’ border with Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.  Refugees are being cruelly weaponized on the Eastern borders ofContinue Reading

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Serving on behalf of 25 million Canadians and Americans of Central and East European heritage, The Central and Eastern European Council in Canada and the U.S.-based Central and East European Coalition express serious concern regarding the Joint Statement of the United States and Germany on Support for Ukraine, European EnergyContinue Reading

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During nearly 30 years of cooperative advocacy, the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC) has conducted important work calling attention to transatlantic issues that affect both the United States and Central and Eastern Europe. Here, we decided to highlight some of the crucial moments in the coalition’s history. The 2000Continue Reading

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On Monday, June 14th, the ambassadors of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the United States met at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington DC for a virtual discussion on “A Day of Mourning and Hope- The Living Memory of Soviet Deportees and Displaced Persons of the Baltic States.” June 14th ofContinue Reading

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The Baltic Journey to NATO

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The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) has launched a new online platform The Baltic Journey to NATO: Exploring the role of civil society, diaspora, governments, and media, which highlights the milestones of the events that led to a successful NATO enlargement and membership for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.Continue Reading

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On September 18th, the Central and Eastern European Coalition (CEEC) held its first virtual policy event called “Resilience and Russian Interference: Neutralizing the Kremlin’s Campaign to Dismantle Democracy.” The motivation behind the event stemmed from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Op-Ed published this past July in the National Interest, and theContinue Reading

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On August 11, Joe Biden announced his pick for a Vice President – Kamala Harris, the U.S. Senator from California. And just last week, they both received a mandate from the Democratic National Convention. During the democratic primaries process, we looked at the candidates and their positions towards the BalticContinue Reading

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Report contributed by Madelena Miniats With the Baltic youth advocacy survey completed, a total of twenty-eight people participated from the United States and Canada, all of Estonian, Latvian or Lithuanian descent. The biggest takeaways were that young Balts are interested and ready to engage and participate in Baltic advocacy inContinue Reading

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Report prepared by Madelena Miniats In early August, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is expected to announce his long-awaited vice-presidential running mate. JBANC has also been taking note on the different nominees and where they stand on foreign policy and Baltic-related issues. In this analysis, we’ll look at each ofContinue Reading