It is too soon to speak of any specific number of troops Latvia may send to Ukraine for a peacekeeping mission, according to what Prime Minister Evikas Siliņa said at a press-conference after meeting with her Lithuanian colleague Gintautas Paluckas.
When asked if and how many troops Latvia would be prepared to send to Ukraine for a peacekeeping mission, Siliņa said it is first important to understand what the possible format could be. “If it is a NATO framework, it is easier to do. It is clear what the command structure that guides such forces really is. If this is not a NATO framework, then this is a different situation, you also need to understand what the security guarantees of our soldiers could be,” said the Latvian PM.
The head of the Latvian government said discussions have been held with military personnel about this topic.
She stressed that on a European and transatlantic partners level there are still many ongoing discussions. This is why it is too soon to discuss any specific numbers of troops to send, as the situation may change as the framework changes.
She revealed that in the second round of the Paris talks held on Wednesday, the leaders of the European Union (EU) discussed various options and NB8 countries, including Lithuania, confirmed are ready to act on different scenarios.
Siliņa added that the Latvia has discussed various scenario on the government level.
The Lithuanian PM, on the other hand, said that when it comes to peace in Ukraine, it is first necessary to achieve ceasefire. Only then will it be possible to continue moving forward within the framework of the ceasefire.
Therefore, Paluckas believes that such a decision should be taken at the European and NATO level and it should also be taken into account that it may have to be implemented without the support of the US Armed Forces.
He aid it will be necessary to invest a lot of effort from NB8, with NATO and other countries expressing the same position.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas arrived in Latvia for his first official visit on Thursday, the 20th of February.
US President Donald Trump surprised both Ukraine and European allies last Wednesday by saying he had a “long and extremely productive” phone call with Vladimir Putin, in which they agreed to “immediately” start talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron gathered leaders of the most influential European countries in Paris on Monday to discuss the security situation in Ukraine and Europe.
Trump’s actions and statements have raised concerns in Ukraine and the West that Washington could force Kyiv to accept a ceasefire on Moscow’s terms, and the US-Russia talks in Riyadh have only heightened those concerns.
US and Russian officials announced after the talks in Saudi Arabia that high-level delegations would be set up to continue negotiations on ending the Ukrainian war.