Newsweek publishes correction after inaccurately reporting senior Russian official demanded NATO withdraw troops from Baltic states

(MENAFN) Newsweek has published a correction after inaccurately reporting that a senior Russian official demanded NATO withdraw troops from the Baltic states. The original article claimed that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov insisted NATO must pull out of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to end the Ukraine conflict.

However, Ryabkov never specifically mentioned the Baltic countries in his interview with the Russian news agency TASS. Instead, he referred more broadly to NATO’s military presence in “Eastern Europe.” Following criticism—including from Latvia’s NATO ambassador Maris Riekstins, who called the story “very strange”—Newsweek amended both the headline and the article, adding a disclaimer to clarify that Ryabkov did not single out the Baltic states.

Despite the correction, the initial story spread widely and was echoed by other media, such as Lithuania’s state broadcaster LRT, sometimes accompanied by Baltic officials’ warnings of possible Russian aggression—claims repeatedly denied by Moscow.

In his interview, Ryabkov reaffirmed Russia’s long-standing opposition to NATO expansion near its borders and called for legally binding security guarantees. He suggested that reducing NATO forces in Eastern Europe would improve continental security but did not mention any specific countries. He also emphasized that resolving the Ukraine conflict and restoring relations with the West would require addressing Russia’s core security concerns, including opposition to strike weapons deployed near its territory.

While NATO enlargement remains a key issue in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ryabkov’s latest comments do not support claims that Moscow has explicitly threatened the Baltic nations. Newsweek has not issued a formal apology but has acknowledged and corrected the error in its updated report.

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