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On Tuesday, President Obama will travel to Estonia before he heads to Wales for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, this is an effort to reassure Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania NATO will stand with them.

This trip is intended to send a clear message to Russia, but most importantly to President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to leave the Baltic nations alone.

Charles Kupchan, the White House’s senior director for European affairs stated, “Russia, don’t even think about messing around in Estonia or in any of the Baltic areas in the same way that you have been messing around in Ukraine.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, Mr. Obama will arrive in Estonia against the backdrop of escalating tensions in Ukraine. NATO officials have said more than 1,000 Russian troops have been fighting recently alongside pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. On Monday, Moscow signaled that it would take a hard line during talks on Ukraine that include the Ukrainian government and separatists.

The Journal continued to report, Russia’s actions continue to unsettle the region, Mr. Obama will meet with the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Wednesday. He will deliver a speech in Tallinn underscoring that the NATO principle requiring allies to assist each other in defense is an ironclad guarantee, White House officials said.

President Obama stated last week, “Part of the reason I’ll be going to Estonia is to let the Estonians know that we mean what we say with respect to our treaty obligations.”

Heather Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that is a critical message for the Baltic nations to hear.

“There has always been a great fear in the Baltic states that if push came to shove, they question whether NATO would really have their back.”

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius stated in an interview that the president’s visit has a symbolic message, with the main message to reassure nervous alliance members.

“The visit itself is a message,” Mr. Linkevicius said in an interview. “When the U.S. president comes on eve of a summit to a particular place, it’s a strong message to the world and everyone concerned.”

The Journal reported the Baltic countries have been at odds with many NATO allies. These countries, geographically close to Russia, have been pushing for new permanent NATO bases on their territory, something the other countries, including the U.S., are resisting, because they are seen as costly and provocative.

Jeremy Shapiro, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that by visiting Tallinn and emphasizing the defense of NATO allies, Mr. Obama is putting his own credibility on the line and sending the message that the U.S. will respond to Russian provocation.

“That means that, ‘If you do something, I’m going to have no choice but to respond,’ “he said of the implications of Mr. Obama’s trip. “I am committing myself and the United States of America to a forceful response.’…That’s definitely a message to the Russians and to Vladimir Putin.”

We have only time to see what actions Putin will take next since he has already sent Russian forces into Ukraine.