Latvia has strong consensus on supporting Ukraine as it is in our interests – Braže
A strong consensus has emerged in Latvian society in support of Ukraine, which reflects the country’s interests and is seen as a moral duty of its citizens.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said this in an interview with Ukrinform, Censor.NET reports.
According to her, Latvia’s assistance to Ukraine amounts to around 1% of the country’s GDP.
"Of this, more than 0.25% is provided annually for military support, which even exceeds bilateral commitments," Braže noted.
She pointed out that Riga supports Kyiv in various areas of the defense sector: from supplying Latvian-made Patria armored personnel carriers to drones, with Latvia co-leading the international "drone coalition" together with the United Kingdom.
"We are also part of the PURL initiative for purchasing U.S. weapons for Ukraine, and we provide substantial societal-level assistance — volunteer, humanitarian and medical support, as well as aid to the energy sector and police. We are also actively engaged through the private and NGO sectors. There is a strong consensus in Latvian society on supporting Ukraine, because it is in our national interest and our moral obligation," the Latvian foreign minister stressed.
Braže added that Latvia will continue to support Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
"Negotiations should have already started. But as we know, one EU country (Hungary) is blocking the process, and we need to overcome this obstacle," the Latvian foreign minister added.
