German Chanceller Olaf Scholz visits Baltic leaders with Ukraine top of the agenda

The war in Ukraine is seen as a direct threat to the Baltic States and was first in line for topics of discussion between the northern European leaders.

The meeting in Tallinn focused on security and defence cooperation, ahead of a NATO summit due to be held in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius in July.

"We have expanded our support in many ways, including the presence of soldiers in Lithuania," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

"This also includes the development of infrastructure, and we have also promised to create structures so that we can always deploy troops there very quickly. We are now practising this in concrete terms with the team made available for this purpose."

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Although Germany has been widely criticised for its slowness in sending arms to Ukraine, the country is playing an increasingly active role in NATO and also in the military reinforcement of its eastern flank, where it has promised to strengthen the presence of Bundeswehr soldiers.

Prime Minister Kallas said Germany was a vital country in regional security and in resolving the war in Ukraine in a way that the latter will emerge victorious.