Durbin Receives Joint Baltic American National Committee’s Baltic Freedom Award

Durbin Receives Joint Baltic American National Committee's Baltic Freedom Award

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, received the Baltic Freedom Award from the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) for his strong connections to the Baltic countries and his continued leadership in Congress to strengthen Baltic security. Durbin was presented the award from the Lithuania diaspora-the country his mother immigrated from.

"As a proud son of a Lithuanian immigrant, I was honored to receive JBANC's Baltic Freedom Award," said Durbin. "Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the security threats facing the region have become more urgent, including Russian and Belarussian efforts to destabilize the Baltics through disinformation campaigns, hybrid attacks, and airspace incursions. But Russian bullying has failed, and the Baltics remain among the strongest supporters of NATO and Ukraine, providing critical military, humanitarian, and diplomatic support. With my remaining time in Congress, I'll work to ensure that the U.S. remains as committed to its Baltic friends."

Photos of Durbin delivering his remarks can be found here.

Durbin has long been a supporter of the U.S.-Baltic alliance. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, he secured $231.5 million in defense appropriations funding for the Baltic Security Initiative. Durbin also secured $200 million for the BSI in the recently enacted FY 2026 defense appropriations bill.

Last March, Durbin and Grassley introduced the Baltic Security Initiative Act, bipartisan legislation to effectively codify the Baltic Security Initiative, which Durbin created in 2021 to enhance and strengthen U.S. security cooperation with the Baltics amid an increase of Russian hybrid attacks in the Baltics and across Europe, and Russia's war in Ukraine.

In September, Durbin introduced a bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2026 modeled after this bill as the Trump Administration aimed to suspend the program. Durbin successfully secured this provision codifying the Baltic Security Initiative in the FY 2026 NDAA conference agreement

Last Congress, Durbin and Grassley introduced a resolution recognizing the importance of the alliance between the United States and the Baltic States.

In 2022, Durbin traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania, where he received the Aleksandras Stulginskis Star Award-only the second individual and first American to receive this award. It was granted to Durbin for his decades-long support of Lithuanian independence and democracy and his promotion of parliamentary values. He was in Vilnius four years ago on the morning Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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