Russia is not only a threat to Europe and the United States, but a global problem, European Council President António Costa told journalists today after meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity).
At the press conference, the Latvian Prime Minister thanked Costa for his visit to Latvia and other countries ahead of the upcoming European Council session, noting that under his leadership the member states had been able to prepare strategically for key issues requiring political decisions.
Siliņa expressed satisfaction that the European Council’s agenda also includes matters concerning Europe’s – and thus Latvia’s – external borders. She highlighted that discussions on the EU’s multiannual budget will also address support for regions, which is important for Latvia.
The Prime Minister stressed that security is inseparable from competitiveness. In Latvia, including with European support, companies are developing that strengthen both Latvia’s and Europe’s security. “To invest in defense and security, adequate funding is necessary. Thanks to joint decisions strengthening Europe’s military industry, companies in Latvia are developing new technologies and enhancing their international competitiveness,” Siliņa said.
Border region resilience was also a key topic.
“This year Latvia is allocating more than 4% of GDP to security, and next year we aim to move toward 5%,” the Prime Minister underlined, recalling that since 2022 more than €900 million has been allocated to strengthen the eastern border.
Costa emphasized that the borders of the Baltic States and Poland are the borders of all of Europe, and therefore their security is Europe’s security. He stressed the need to continue working to guarantee collective defense.
Commenting on reports that the United States plans to reduce support for countries bordering Russia, Costa underlined that Europe itself has done much over the past three years, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, to build its own defense. “This is not about building defense against the US, but about balancing defense spending,” he said.
He also noted that Russia is not only a European threat, but also an Asian one:
“Those who are concerned about security in the Pacific should also be concerned about Russia. The United States should never forget that,” Costa remarked.
For her part, Siliņa added that Latvia had received no official notice of US plans to reduce support. She stressed that the issue is being discussed at diplomatic and foreign minister levels. At the same time, she pointed out that US support is “only seed money,” as Europe itself is investing heavily in strengthening defense. “This shows that Europe has a strong backbone and can take decisions that three years ago no one believed possible,” the Prime Minister stated.
As reported, the US plans to reduce security assistance to European states bordering Russia, according to two informed sources last week. This move is linked to President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy, under which his administration has cut foreign aid and urged European nations to bear a greater share of defense costs. The Financial Times was the first to report on the planned cuts.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has heightened concerns in Europe about regional stability
and the risk of further aggression from Moscow. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are among the main recipients of this funding.
The US Congress has approved financing for this assistance plan, administered by the Department of Defense, only until the end of September 2026. Trump’s administration has not requested an extension of the program, one of the sources confirmed.
Responding to requests for comment, a White House official referred to an executive order signed by Trump shortly after the start of his second presidential term in January. “On the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order to review and streamline US foreign aid,” the official said. “This action is coordinated with European countries in line with the executive order and the president’s longstanding emphasis on ensuring that Europe takes more responsibility for its own defense.”
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the decision a mistake. “It makes no sense to reduce our allies’ defense readiness at a time when we are asking them to strengthen their [military] capabilities. This puts American troops at risk when we cut training for allied soldiers who would fight alongside them,” Shaheen said.
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