Latvia’s relationship with the United States is deep and the bilateral cooperation agenda is “positive,” said Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže (New Unity) in an interview with “Rīta Panorāma” on Latvian Television (LTV) on Tuesday.
Speaking about the recent meeting between the foreign ministers of the Baltic states and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Braže stated that the U.S. side wanted to hear the Baltic perspective on the regional situation. During the discussions, security priorities were outlined.
According to Braže, the U.S. is also interested in ensuring that the European Union does not exclude American companies from its military procurement processes. Energy was another key topic, where Latvia emphasized that price and long-term supply are its main concerns—decisions are based on economic viability.
When asked what has changed in Latvia-U.S. relations under Donald Trump’s new presidency, Braže remarked that the new U.S. leadership “thanks us for being good allies” and appreciates that Latvia does not engage in public “loud rhetoric”.
Regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine and Trump’s proposed peace negotiations, the Latvian foreign minister acknowledged that peace will eventually come, but the form it takes remains uncertain. At this point, she said, she does not wish to speculate on possible scenarios.
Braže stressed that Latvia is interested in ensuring the peace process includes limiting Russia’s capabilities, maintaining sanctions, and that both sides withdraw their troops from the front lines. Peace monitoring must be ensured, and the conditions must not weaken Ukraine’s military strength.
In her view, Russia has not yet demonstrated any genuine interest in achieving lasting peace. Therefore, she believes the U.S. will eventually have no choice but to “take some steps” that could help move the peace process forward.