Latvian president confident Baltic states to receive full NATO support

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed strong confidence that the Baltic states will receive full support from NATO allies if threatened, during a joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Riga Castle on July 8.

Recalling the security landscape following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, Rinkēvičs highlighted the significant NATO military presence in the Baltics, which has grown from initial battle groups to brigades in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. He also noted ongoing efforts to form a NATO division in the region, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Emphasising the complexities of modern warfare, which now includes hybrid attacks beyond traditional military invasions, Rinkēvičs stressed the need for flexibility in applying NATO’s Article 5. He advocated granting sufficient authority and responsibility to the Supreme Allied Commander on the ground to respond effectively to threats.

Addressing concerns over defence spending, the Latvian president underscored the importance of thoughtful investment in line with the NATO summit decision in The Hague to allocate 5% of GDP to defence. He warned that advancements in drone warfare over the past two years have accelerated rapidly.

“We clearly understand that we have little time because Russian military industry is developing much faster. Europe needs to ‘cover’ problematic areas that, at the moment, as members of NATO and the European Union, we are unable to cover,” Rinkēvičs said.

By Vugar Khalilov