Baltic States

"The Baltic States are really exposed to the Russians, right? And once you are there, you really feel this... in the talks we are having over there," he said.

Whilst countries like Poland and the Baltic States cautioned against getting too close to Moscow – and increased their own defence spending – Berlin under former Chancellor Angela Merkel believed in doing business.

According to the Kiel Institute think tank, by percentage of GDP, the Baltic States and Poland are among the highest donors of aid to Ukraine.

Russian neighbours - the tiny, former Soviet Baltic States and also Poland - now feel particularly exposed.

"When the Baltic States joined the EU and Nato, everybody talked about them being an energy island that was still dependent on that joint electricity network with Belarus and Russia," said Smith.