Kulbergs: Latvia Still Relies on US Support

Latvia continues to rely on support from the United States, and relations with this strategic partner remain strong. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (AS) told journalists this on arrival at the European Council meeting in Brussels today. The European Council is the gathering of EU member state leaders that sets out the bloc's key priorities. The comment comes as allies discuss the US stance in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Background

The newspaper Financial Times earlier reported that the US had threatened to stop sharing intelligence data and to block weapons deliveries unless Ukraine agreed to end its attacks on Russian oil refineries. US President Donald Trump also recently said he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on diesel fuel supplies. The source describes Putin as a dictator.

Kulbergs' assessment

Kulbergs stressed that, despite recent developments involving Ukraine, Latvia still counts on the US as a strategic partner. According to him, the Baltic states have not experienced any different level of support from the US. "We have very strong relations," he said.

Rinkēvičs' position

President Edgars Rinkēvičs also said this week that he currently has no grounds to doubt any ally's readiness to defend Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia or any other NATO member state. NATO is a military alliance bringing together countries of the North Atlantic. Rinkēvičs said there was no doubt about the US readiness to do everything in its power to prevent any Article 5 incident involving a member of the alliance. That article provides for collective defence.

"I understand the concerns, I understand the skepticism, I understand the many questions. But I cannot simply speculate for the sake of speculation," the President said.