Latvia must be prepared for any scenario, ranging from new hybrid attacks to conventional military threats, President Edgars Rinkēvičs told the LETA news agency.
The President emphasized that Latvia has important work to do in preparing for possible developments. This includes increasing the number of personnel in the National Armed Forces, reinforcing the eastern border, boosting defence spending, and expanding regional cooperation in the field of defence.
Rinkēvičs highlighted that the ability of the Baltic States, Poland, and Finland to coordinate discussions about withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention “is news in itself.” He also stressed the importance of Latvia’s efforts to coordinate joint military tactics and strategy in the broader framework of Baltic and Nordic expeditionary forces.
“The fact that there are so many opinions and statements, and experts claiming this is the last peaceful summer… I am convinced this is not the last peaceful summer. If we are prepared, there will be many more to come—but we cannot relax,” the President said.
He concluded that the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague will be critical, and if it takes an unfavourable turn, it could be seen as a sign of weakness for the entire alliance.
Rinkēvičs noted that the United States—through former President Donald Trump, his advisors, and ministers—has confirmed its commitment to being a strong NATO member and reaffirmed the inviolability of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. At the same time, the U.S. has made it clear that Europe must invest more in its own defence.
The President pointed out that during the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP. However, Rinkēvičs expressed doubt that the 5% target would be decided at The Hague summit. In his view, countries are not fully prepared for that step—but it is important to demonstrate a path toward increasing defence spending to 3–3.5% of GDP if member states agree.
“That would send a clear signal that the alliance is strong—and then Russia won’t take the risk,” Rinkēvičs said, adding that if the summit in The Hague ends with major disputes and no decisions, it would send a very negative message. “That’s why one of our main tasks is to convince all allies—by setting an example and through diplomacy—that in Latvia’s case, contributing 5% of GDP, and in others’ cases a clear and substantial increase in defence spending and real capabilities, is what will protect us,” the President said.
He also noted that the U.S. currently strongly opposes Ukraine’s accession to NATO. In Rinkēvičs’s view, this shows that the U.S. takes NATO seriously. However, he also expressed concern about the significant divergence in discussions on increasing defence spending—some NATO countries have yet to reach 2% of GDP and are sceptical about even reaching 3%.
“That’s why I’d say any warning must be taken seriously, but we shouldn’t approach every warning or discussion with a sense of doom. Let’s remain calm and mobilize,” the President concluded.