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Why are the Baltic states worried about the challenge from Russia?
EU foreign ministers are to meet in the Latvian capital Riga with the Ukraine crisis expected to dominate the agenda.
Latvia and its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Lithuania have voiced concern about what they see as Russia's increasingly aggressive attitude.
Lithuania has reintroduced conscription and Estonia has accused Moscow of being behind a number of cyber-attacks.
The Baltic states fear Nato and the EU move too slowly to counter Russia's actions.
Latvia, which is hosting the informal meeting, currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.
The summit comes as Nato continues to increase its military presence in the Baltic states, with several military drills and training exercises in Lithuania in recent weeks.
Correspondents say it is a deliberate show of force and an act of unity against an alleged threat from Russia to the former Soviet states.
The authorities in Lithuania are also bringing back conscription after a rise in snap military drills by Russian forces as well as overflights along its border.
UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon recently described Russia as a "real and present danger" to the Baltic states. But Moscow rejects the claims.
On Thursday Russia announced large-scale military exercises in the annexed Crimea as well as breakaway regions of Georgia.
Katya Adler, BBC Europe editor,Planned long ago, Riga turns out to be a very fitting place for EU foreign ministers to meet.
Ukraine will top the discussion agenda and Latvia, along with its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Lithuania view themselves as the frontline between the EU and a bellicose Russia.
Lithuania is re-introducing military conscription following an upsurge in Russian snap military drills and overflights along its border.
The Baltic states fear that multi-national, consensus-based Nato and the EU move too slowly to counter Russia's unpredictable President Vladimir Putin.
The Estonian Prime Minister, Taavi Roivas, told me his country was already suffering non-conventional attacks from Russia in the form of cyber-warfare and disinformation.
Baltic states shiver as Russia flexes muscles
The meeting comes amid heightened tension over the crisis in Ukraine.
At least 6,000 people are believed to have been killed since the conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions erupted last April, a month after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula.
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Tom Burridge visited a factory in Donetsk where rebels claim they are repairing tanks seized from the Ukrainian military
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of helping the rebels with weapons and soldiers - a claim Moscow denies.
Independent experts echo that accusation, but Russia insists that any Russians serving with the rebels are "volunteers".
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