The President of Latvia has not ruled out the possibility of Russian escalation against NATO countries
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs stated that he does not rule out the possibility of further escalation by Russia against NATO countries. At the same time, he noted that while a full-scale invasion is not inevitable at this point, the Alliance must be prepared to respond swiftly and decisively to any potential threats from Russia.
“We must be prepared (for an escalation by Russia—ed.). We cannot rule out any possibilities. But I would say that we should not be afraid. We simply need to send a very, very short and clear message: if Russia challenges NATO, the Alliance will respond appropriately,” said the Latvian president.
At the same time, Rinkēvičs noted that, as of now, Russia does not have the capability to carry out a full-scale invasion of any NATO country. The reason is that Russia lacks the troops to do so.
The Latvian president also believes that peace in Ukraine cannot be achieved without Europe. In his words, “it is in our interest” for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union—particularly for security reasons.
Returning to the topic of NATO, Rinkēvičs emphasized that defense spending at 5% of GDP is insufficient. He stressed that defense capabilities are what truly matter.
“You have the money, but you also need weapons, missiles, and equipment that you can purchase with that money. And here we see that we have some problems with the defense industry,” he explained.
In addition, the Latvian leader responded to a question about whether Europe would be able to replace the U.S. contingent after Washington reduces its presence in European countries.
In response, Rinkēvičs said that building up the capabilities the United States provides for Europe’s defense requires time, money, and investment in personnel and equipment.
“I would say that today the United States is indispensable to Europe’s defense and to making NATO a successful alliance,” he concluded.
This was reported with reference to his interview with Deutsche Welle.
Latvia, together with Ukraine, will build a drone manufacturing plant near the border with Russia.
The Latvian Ministry of Defense will soon deploy additional air defense systems to strengthen the protection of the country’s eastern border.
Latvia also intends to continue enhanced border controls along its eastern border.
