Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, in an interview with the Deutsche Welle channel, voiced his position regarding current security on NATO's eastern flank. The head of state does not rule out the possibility of escalation from Russia, but urges allies not to succumb to panic, but to clearly define the boundaries of the acceptable.
Ally's Response to Challenges
Rinkevics emphasized that Latvia and other participating countries must be ready for any development of events. According to him, fear of possible actions by the Russian Federation should not paralyze the will of politicians. Instead, it is necessary to send an unambiguous signal to Moscow: any challenge to NATO will be met with an adequate and weighty response.
"We cannot rule out any options," the president noted. "But we must simply convey a very short and weighty message: if Russia challenges NATO, the Alliance will respond accordingly."
Military Potential of Russia
Despite calls for vigilance, the Latvian leader analyzed the current capabilities of the Russian army. Rinkevics stated that as of today, Moscow physically does not have the resources for a full-scale invasion of any NATO country. In his opinion, the Russian Federation simply does not have enough troops to implement such a scenario.
Defense Industry Problems
Discussing the issues of security financing, the President of Latvia criticized the approach in which only the percentage of GDP allocated to defense matters. Rinkevics believes that even a figure of 5% of GDP will be insufficient if this money is not transformed into real combat capabilities.
He pointed to systemic problems in Europe's defense industry. The presence of a budget does not guarantee the presence of the necessary weapons, missiles, and equipment. "You have money, but you also need to have weapons... And here we see that we have some problems," he explained.
Role of the USA in Protecting Europe
In the context of possible changes in Washington's policy, Rinkevics answered the question about Europe's ability to independently replace the American contingent. The President of Latvia admitted that to build up its own potential comparable to the US contribution, years, colossal funds, and investments in personnel are required.
"I would say that today the United States is irreplaceable in the defense of Europe and in making NATO successful as an Alliance," he summarized.
Plan for Ukraine
Separately, Rinkevics touched upon the topic of settling the conflict in Ukraine. He is convinced that peace cannot be achieved without the active participation of Europe. In the interests of the security of the continent, according to the Latvian leader, Ukraine must become a member of the European Union.
Context of Threats
Rinkevics' words were made against the backdrop of the intensification of rhetoric of other European leaders. Earlier in April, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia could attack one of the NATO countries in the coming months, not years. Tusk also expressed doubts about the readiness of the USA to defend Europe in such a scenario.
The situation is exacerbated by reports from Western media. In June, The Guardian, citing intelligence data, wrote about Russia's preparation of military and hybrid provocations on NATO's eastern flank to test Western unity. In addition, The Telegraph reported that the US had passed Warsaw information about the Russian Federation's plans for armed provocations against Poland in the coming months, including drone strikes and local invasions.
