Joe Biden said US remains committed to collective defense of all NATO alliance members. (File Photo)
US Vice President Joe Biden has reaffirmed America's determination to defend the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia against any aggression from neighboring Russia.
Biden told reporters today that the US remains committed to the key principle of collective defense of all NATO alliance members.
He spoke after meeting leaders of all three Baltic nations in the Latvian capital, Riga, at the start of a three-day tour that includes Turkey and Sweden.
Biden said: "We mean what we say. We have never reneged on any commitment we have made. Our sacred honor is at stake."
He said NATO forces would strengthen security along the Baltic nations' eastern border with Russia. The former Soviet Union occupied all three nations from the final months of World War II to 1991.