Krištopans: “Kremlin friends” and “far-right” labels are a political weapon

Vilis Krištopans, a member of the European Parliament from Latvia, said in an interview published on 6 November 2026 that political debates in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe increasingly rely on loud labels that let opponents be quickly put into a set category. He cited terms such as “far-right”, “friends of the Kremlin” and “Putin supporters”.

The publication was produced in cooperation with the European Parliament political group “Patriots for Europe”, to which Krištopans belongs. The European Parliament does not take responsibility for its content.

The search for an enemy

Krištopans argues that this practice is very popular in many countries. He claims Latvia is one of the most backward countries in Europe, ranking near the bottom on almost every indicator, and that politics therefore looks for an enemy. In Latvia, he says, that role goes to the label “friends of the Kremlin”.

The situation in the European Parliament

The politician sees a similar trend in European Union politics, especially in the European Parliament, where competition between liberal, left-wing and right-wing forces has grown sharper in recent years. In his view, some political forces find it convenient to describe opponents with generalising tags rather than by their specific policies or votes.

Krištopans notes that the European Parliament has 720 members, a large share of whom are liberals and left-wingers who, in his opinion, need an enemy. He stresses that “Patriots for Europe” is a serious force in parliament, not “right-wing extremists”, as political opponents tend to call them.

Rejects accusations about Putin

The politician categorically rejects accusations of sympathy for Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to him, none of his votes or speeches has ever shown anywhere that he is a friend of Putin.