01 August, 2017
Standing alongside Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Pence pledged firm U.S. support for the tiny Caucasus nation and slammed Russia's military presence of its territory since a brief 2008 war.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, right, Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid, second from right, Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite, second from left, and Latvia's President Raimonds Vejonis speak prior to their meeting at the Kadriorg Palace in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, July 31, 2017. The Noble Partner 2017 drills, which also include German, U.K., Turkish, Slovenian, Ukrainian and Armenian forces, are the largest in the Caucasus republic since Georgia fought a brief war with Russian Federation in 2008 over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Saying that Trump "knows security is the foundation of our prosperity", Pence said America and the Baltic countries would seek new ways to increase prosperity by increasing two-way trade that now amounts to $3.5 billion and by increasing their mutual investments.
"NATO's collective position of deterrence and defense has strengthened in the Baltic region and the U.S.A.is indispensable to ensuring the security of our immediate neighborhood, as well as all of Europe", Ratas said in a statement.
Pence implicitly downplayed Trump's earlier threat to veto the bill, saying: "In signing the sanctions, our president and our Congress are speaking with a unified voice".
In a visit to Baltic State Estonia on Monday Pence insisted that a retaliatory move taken by the Kremlin in the face of the looming sanctions to cut the USA diplomatic mission in Russian Federation would not lessen Washington's commitment to its allies.
"I am pleased to report that the bill improved significantly as it moved through the legislative process", he said, expressing hope that the sanctions would lead to a more peaceful world. Russian Federation has stationed thousands of troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia after recognizing them as independent republics. Trump's 2016 election campaign has been accused of colluding with Russian Federation.
From Estonia, Pence traveled later Monday to Georgia, where troops from the United States and other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners are conducting military exercises that began Sunday.
This sent a certain message and encouraged some parties to act the way they did, Pence said.
