The US is ready to defend Baltic states-Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia-if necessary and will keep its military presence in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this, the Voice of America reported.

The United States remains firmly committed to the freedom and sovereignty of our Baltic allies, the Pentagon chief noted.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said his country is working to prevent an attack on it if Russia is not stopped in Ukraine.

Containment is the key word in this case. That is why NATO is developing new regional defense plans, which hopefully will be approved at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, he said.