At present, there is no direct military threat to Latvia or NATO, but provocations, sabotage, and the escalation of incidents cannot be ruled out, Latvian Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds (P) told news agency LETA in an interview.
“We must take into account that Russia as a whole is ready for escalation,” said the minister, emphasizing that Russia has demonstrated its brutality in Ukraine.
“We cannot afford to relax for a single moment, because in our region, hybrid war provocations and beyond are possible,” he stressed.
While there is currently no direct military threat to Latvia or NATO, the possibility of provocations, sabotage, and escalations of incidents cannot be excluded, the minister noted. “We must be prepared for this today, not at some point in the future. Our readiness must be demonstrated now, including through the ‘Namejs’ exercises, which further strengthen our preparedness. This proves that the best deterrence is the strengthening of defence capabilities,” Sprūds emphasized.
He explained that demonstrating defence readiness also serves to deter potential escalation.
“In Russia’s case, weakness is what encourages aggression, which is why NATO’s mission ‘Enhanced Forward Presence’ is so important — it shows that any action by Russia will be met with a response,” the minister underlined.
Whatever actions Russia takes, regardless of its motives, are essentially demonstrations of escalation and aggressiveness, which must be answered, Sprūds concluded. “This shows that it is counterproductive for Russia to engage in such activities, as they provoke a response and ultimately achieve the opposite of what was intended.”
The minister also noted that Russia has sought to reduce NATO’s role and create disunity within the Alliance, but in his view, the outcome has been the exact opposite.
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