Frontline Lessons from NATO’s Eastern Flank: A Discussion with Kristjan Prikk and Gabrielius Landsbergis, Stanfordas, CA

Join us for an engaging discussion with Ambassador of Estonia to the U.S. Kristjan Prikk and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis on:

Frontline Lessons from NATO’s Eastern Flank: Deterrence, Resilience, and the Future of Transatlantic Security

Drawing on the firsthand experiences of the Baltic countries on NATO’s Eastern flank, Ambassador of Estonia to the US Kristjan Prikk and former Foreign Minister of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis will explore how the era of renewed great-power competition affects the modern deterrence and resilience of frontline states in Europe.
The discussion will examine the practical integration of military readiness, cyber defense, and societal resilience in response to hybrid threats. How are small countries readying their defense? What lessons from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have we already learned, and what still remains a challenge? And what happens to NATO’s credibility when its leading power signals it may no longer treat European defense as a core interest?
Ultimately, the speakers will argue that the future of transatlantic security will be decided not only on the battlefield but also by the choices allied societies make about how they anticipate, withstand, and rapidly recover from complex, multi-domain challenges, and what their societies are willing to endure to ensure freedom.
The discussion will be moderated by Rose Gottemoeller, William J. Perry Lecturer at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and former Deputy Secretary General of NATO (2016 to 2019).

Estonia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kristjan Prikk started his mission in Washington, D.C. in May 2021. He is a graduate of the US Army War College and has served as the National Security Coordinator to the Prime Minister. Prior to arriving in D.C., he was the Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defense. Among his previous assignments are two other tours in Washington as an Estonian diplomat and work on NATO-Russia and NATO-Ukraine topics at a time when these relationships were considerably less charged than today.

Gabrielius Landsbergis served as minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania from 2020 to 2024, a pivotal period for the region. He led Lithuania’s diplomatic service guided by the principle of values-based foreign policy. During his tenure, Lithuania emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of Ukraine, Taiwan, and freedom fighters worldwide. Before that, he served in the Parliament of Lithuania from 2016, was chairman of the Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives), and was elected to the European Parliament in 2014. Prior to entering politics, Gabrielius Landsbergis was a career diplomat. He currently serves as Bernard and Susan Liautaud Visiting Fellow at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

Opening remarks will be delivered by University Librarian Michael Keller.

The in-person event is free and open to the public. RSVP is requested.

This event is part of Global Conversations, a series of talks, lectures, and seminars hosted by Stanford University Libraries and Vabamu with the goal of educating scholars, students, leaders, and the public on the benefits of but also challenges related to sustaining freedom.