WASHINGTON 

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday welcomed his Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian counterparts at the Pentagon to discuss defense cooperation.

"The United States remains fully committed to NATO," Hegseth said at a joint news conference, along with Hanno Pevkur, Andris Spruds, and Dovile Sakaliene, ahead of the quadrilateral meeting.

"Together we're achieving peace through strength in Europe by setting the conditions for negotiated lasting peace in Ukraine, establishing sustainable deterrence, and increasing ally capabilities and interoperability," he added.

Hegseth also applauded the Baltic states' 5% commitment to defense investment.

"The commitment by allies to 5% defense spending will make NATO stronger and more sustainable, (and) more lethal," he said.

At the NATO summit in The Hague, NATO allies made a commitment to investing 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually on core defense requirements and defense- and security-related spending by 2035.

Pevkur, for his part, said Estonia will spend "even more than 5% already next year and in years to come."

"We will continue to push other allies to do the same so that Europe and Canada will bear a fair burden with the United States," he said.

While the Baltic States and Europe are ready to assume "greater" responsibility in ensuring Europe's security, Pevkur said the US role in contributing to the deterrence on NATO's eastern flank remains "crucial."

"Our meeting today is a testimony to the strong and trusted partnership between the Baltic States and the United States.

"We are allies who are willing to strengthen our common defense, and we are more than determined to continue this very close cooperation," he added.

'We should support Ukraine'

Spruds said Latvia takes defense expenditure "very seriously."

The Latvian defense minister stressed that Russia is a "long-term threat."

"We should support Ukraine, but we fully realize it's not just about Europe. It's also about the Indo-Pacific. It's about wider global stability," he added.

Latvia "absolutely" looks forward to expanding and deepening "this partnership between our nations," Spruds said.

Sakaliene said Lithuania made a "bold decision" to raise its defense spending above 5% ahead of this year's NATO summit.

"We have over 4% already this year," she said, urging other European allies "to do the same."

Stressing that boosting the defense industry is Lithuania's "priority," the minister invited the US companies to invest in the country.

"We offer 0% corporate tax, bureaucracy-free green corridors, and state-of-the-art technologies," she added.

Lithuania's support for Ukraine is "steadfast," she said.

"We commend your efforts to stop the war in Ukraine, especially President (Donald) Trump's decision to send United States arms to Ukraine, fully funded by NATO allies. Lithuania is ready to contribute to buying Patriots for Ukraine produced by the United States," Sakaliene added.