Joint Statement by the U.S. and the Baltic Countries following the 2024 Baltic 3+1 Dialogue

July 24, 2024

Today, the Ministries of Energy for the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and the U.S. Department of Energy convened for a fourth 3+1 Dialogue in Bucharest, Romania, on the margins of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (“P-TECC”) Ministerial. Estonia’s Minister of Climate Yoko Alender, represented by Deputy Secretary General for Energy and Mineral Resources Jaanus Uiga, Latvia’s Minister for Climate and Energy Kaspars Melnis, Lithuania’s Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm reaffirmed their shared commitment to energy security and resilience, clean energy development and deployment in the Baltic region and global net zero energy transitions. 

The Ministers and Secretary reviewed and celebrated the technical work of the three Baltic electricity transmission system operators and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in cyber security, critical infrastructure protection, and grid modeling to bolster the Baltic countries’ technical capacity to meet their goal to desynchronize their energy systems with Russia and connect to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity. They acknowledge the importance of dialogue on these efforts to ensure energy security in the Baltic region, in Europe, and beyond. 

Taking into account the current geopolitical security situation within the Baltic Region, and based on lessons learned in Ukraine, the 3+1 Dialogue participants recognized ongoing efforts and opportunities to further efforts towards ensuring better protection and resilience of critical energy infrastructure against hybrid, cyber, and physical threats in the Baltic region.

On this occasion, the three Ministers and Secretary reaffirmed the critical contributions of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the United States to provide Ukraine with essential material, technical, and financial assistance to rapidly repair, restore, and defend its energy systems and to support Ukraine’s efforts to build a more resilient, sustainable, and decentralized energy system that is more integrated with Europe. Within the 3+1 Dialogue the three Baltic Ministers and the U.S. Secretary underscored their countries’ enduring commitment to Ukraine and its people and condemned Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, including attacks on the nation’s energy and civil infrastructure. 

The Baltic Ministers and U.S. Secretary reiterated their governments’ strong commitment to disrupt and deter, with adequate measures, Russia’s efforts to circumvent sanctions and resolve to continue taking steps to limit Russia’s future energy revenue, which directly supports its war of aggression against Ukraine. The Baltic States have stopped importing Russian gas and electricity and call on other states to accelerate their phase out of Russian energy imports.

The determination of the Baltics and the United States to prioritize clean energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment aims to speed the global transition to a cleaner and a more secure energy future. Within the 3+1 Dialogue the Ministers and the Secretary underlined their determination to advance the commitments made during the 28^th UN Climate Change Conference to work together to triple the world’s installed renewable energy generation capacity and collectively double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. 

Looking ahead, the Baltic countries and the United States intend to continue discussion and cooperation through the 3+1 Dialogue to strengthen their strategic relationship, ensuring energy security, aligned energy policies, and acceleration of clean energy technologies and innovation.