An explanation from Defence Minister Andris Sprūds (Progressives) on the defence sector’s stance toward the United States is scheduled to be heard at a coalition partners’ meeting next week, Toms Zariņš, a representative of the Progressives party, told LETA.
According to Zariņš, Sprūds is currently on an official trip abroad, and therefore the issue has been postponed until the 30th of March.
As previously reported, the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) had invited Sprūds to explain the defence leadership’s position toward the United States at today’s coalition meeting, the party said in a statement.
ZZS wants to hear the minister’s explanation of Latvia’s position regarding US President Donald Trump’s call for allies to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted as a result of the US and Israeli war against Iran and is vital for global oil exports.
“The United States is our country’s main strategic partner and remains the guarantor of European security,”
ZZS stated, urging Latvia to formulate a clear position in response to the US request. Trump’s appeal, however, has not received strong support from major European powers, prompting further criticism from Trump toward Europe and NATO.
Latvian officials have largely commented on the issue cautiously. President Edgars Rinkēvičs said on Wednesday that Latvia has not received any requests or invitations so far to participate in the military operation carried out by the United States and Israel in the Middle East. Should such a request be received, it would be assessed responsibly and swiftly in consultation with the relevant ministries, the government, and the Saeima. The president emphasized that any decision to deploy military forces falls within the competence of the Saeima.
Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity) also stated that Latvia has not received any requests from the United States within NATO regarding the operation in the Strait of Hormuz, but noted that if such a request were made, it would be “very seriously assessed.”
As reported earlier,
the war by the United States and Israel against Iran has led to a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz,
through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply is transported, triggering a sharp increase in prices.
On Sunday, Trump warned that NATO faces a very bad future if allies do not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, he said he expects France and the United Kingdom to assist in ensuring navigation through the strait, which Iran is currently attempting to block. The following day, Trump stated that the US military no longer requires assistance in the war against Iran.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated that restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is not a NATO task. He noted that it requires a broader coalition, including Gulf partners as well as European countries and the United States.
“We are working with other countries to develop a credible plan for the Strait of Hormuz that would allow us to restore shipping and transit. Let me be clear — this is not and has never been planned as a NATO mission,” Starmer told journalists at Downing Street.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that the war in the Middle East, triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has nothing to do with NATO and is not a NATO war.
Read also: BNN IN FOCUS | “We support them, they support us” – political scientist on Latvia’s choice in the Hormuz issue