Rinkēvičs: Russia's intimidation will not succeed, Latvia is secure with NATO

President Edgars Rinkēvičs, speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, stated that Russia is increasingly attempting to intimidate countries in the region. He emphasized that Latvia is not alone, as the entire NATO alliance stands behind it. Latvia faces hybrid threats from Russia on a daily basis, but there is currently no reason to expect a military invasion. However, the president stressed that the country must be prepared for various hybrid threats and continuously strengthen its security.

Rinkēvičs highlighted two main outcomes of the summit: an agreement to continue supporting Ukraine and a commitment to increase defense spending to five percent of GDP by 2035. Latvia has already reached this target, and the president called on other member states to follow suit and boost their defense investments.

Commenting on US President Donald Trump's remarks about Greenland, Rinkēvičs reiterated that Latvia's position remains unchanged – Greenland is part of Denmark. He added that the security of the Arctic region is becoming increasingly important. Regarding relations between Europe and the United States, the president stated that both sides are irreplaceable allies and cannot do without each other.