Secretary General welcomes Latvian President to NATO for talks on Ukraine support, deterrence and defence
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (16 November 2023) to discuss continued support for Ukraine and the ongoing implementation of decisions taken at the Vilnius Summit.
Mr Stoltenberg thanked President Rinkēvičs for Latvia’s contributions to the Alliance, including increased defence spending, investments in new capabilities like HIMARS, and contributions to NATO operations and missions in Kosovo and Iraq. Latvia also hosts a Canadian-led battlegroup and will host NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission next year.
The Secretary General welcomed Riga’s significant political and military support to Ukraine, saying: “this is even more important now, as the situation on the battlefield is very difficult.” He added: “that is not an argument for less support; it is an argument for more support. This matters not just for Ukraine’s security, but for our security.”
The Secretary General emphasised that NATO will become even stronger when Sweden joins, saying: “we look forward to welcoming Sweden as a fully Ally very soon”.