On Friday, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže was on a working visit to Luxembourg.
"This means that we need to be strong for ourselves. The Russian economy needs to be weakened. We must isolate Russia politically. We must strengthen Ukraine, which President Trump is doing and we welcome this."
In the eyes of the Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, US President Donald Trump is on the right track. According to the minister, Ukraine must be put in a strong position so that Putin’s idea of weakening and demilitarising Ukraine does not succeed.
"To get to peace, Russia must be forced, because there is not a single indication that the butcher sitting in the Kremlin wants peace. Politically, all he wants is war with Ukraine. There is no freedom of the press. Everything is under total control. Anyone that expresses a diverging or negative opinion on the war in Ukraine is imprisoned", she continued.
Latvia shares a 217 km border with Russia and a 141 km border with Belarus.
"Deterrence means peace"
Baiba Braže recalls that not only the three Baltic states, but the entire EU and NATO, have identified Russia as the main threat to our immediate security, but also to our values.
She explains: “In the next budget, which we have just sent as a government to Parliament, defence spending is set at 4.9% of GDP. And these are purely defence expenses, purely military; without the so-called ‘soft security’, not the police, not the security services. We are taking this very seriously, because deterrence means peace. We are also working very closely together regionally, both with the Baltic states, with the Nordic-Baltic states, with Poland, with Germany, with the Netherlands, with the Benelux countries, and so on, as well as with the USA and Canada.”
At the moment, soldiers from 14 NATO member states are stationed in Latvia. Luxembourg's Army has also already cooperated with Latvian experts in the field of cyber defence. Hybrid warfare from cyberattacks, GPS signal interference, and drones to disinformation is part of everyday life in the Baltic states.
“There are currently no Russian groups on the other side of the border trying to attack Latvia or anyone else. Nor in the Baltic Sea trying to attack Denmark or anything like that. But to ensure it stays that way, defence and security must be taken very seriously”, the Latvian Minister continued.
It is important to understand what exactly Russia is up to. That is why the Latvian government is investing heavily in strong reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, in order to understand Russia’s intentions and political processes, the Minister shared.
At the same time, one thing must be very clear: “We stand together. We are here to deter and defend”, the Latvian Foreign Minister concluded.
Everyone must make their contribution at different levels, including Luxembourg.
