The Latvian government has allocated 10 million euros ($10.7 million) from contingency funds to reinforce defenses on the country's eastern border, Latvia's Defense Ministry reported on June 18.
Latvia has already dispatched the first batch of drones to Ukraine and is preparing a second one, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said in an interview with ArmyInform published on June 17.
The Baltic nations initially aimed to join the European system by the end of 2025. However, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they advanced the timeline by nearly a year.
The Latvian government will invest around 20 million euros ($22 million) in the drone coalition for Ukraine this year, the public broadcaster LSM reported on May 27, citing the country's defense minister, Andris Spruds.
Russia's recent gains in Kharkiv Oblast are a direct consequence of Kyiv's partners not allowing strikes on military targets inside Russia with Western-supplied arms, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics told CNN on May 27.
The defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia met in the Lithuanian town of Palanga on May 22 and agreed on their key goals ahead of the upcoming NATO summit, including an allied commitment to invest at least 2.5% of GDP in defense.
Latvia pledged six million (around $6.5 million) euros to Ukraine's infrastructure development this year and is expected to provide a similar amount of economic aid in the year 2025.
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said additional funds would allow the allies to buy over 3,000 rounds of 155 mm shells.
Latvia has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters since the outbreak of the full-scale war and annually allocates 0.25% of its GDP to provide military aid to Ukraine. Silina said earlier in April that Riga's military aid for Kyiv amounted to 392 million euros ($419 million) since February 2022.
The event will be centered around Ukraine's 10-point peace formula, a plan first outlined by President Volodymyr Zelensky in fall 2022 that calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied Ukrainian lands.
The Latvian army has started to dig an anti-tank ditch as part of its first defensive line near the border with Russia, Latvian public broadcaster LSM reported on May 2.
Latvia has approved the delivery of a new military aid package to Ukraine, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced on April 30.
The Latvian state-owned company Latvenergo provided Ukraine with equipment to restore the energy system after Russian attacks, the Delfi media outlet reported on April 28.
Ukraine and Latvia are working to increase joint drone production, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on April 26 during a press conference with Latvian counterpart Baiba Braze in Kyiv.
The newly appointed Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze arrived in Kyiv on the morning of April 26 and met with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the ministry reported.
A drone coalition co-led by the U.K. and Latvia has collected over 500 million euros ($535 million) to purchase drones for Ukraine, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds wrote on X on April 24.
Children in Latvia will no longer learn Russian as a foreign language in schools from 2026, but instead will be required to learn a language of the European Union or the European Economic Area, Latvia's Education Ministry announced on April 23.
English serves as the first foreign language Latvian schoolchildren learn, and in theory, a number of other languages are offered as the second. In reality, Russian continues to be taught as the second foreign language in more than half of Latvian schools.
The Latvian government will deliver its first batch of drones as part of the Latvian-led drone coalition, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina told reporters on April 16.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkevics, signed a long-term bilateral security agreement, Zelensky announced on April 11 while visiting Lithuania for an international summit.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal held a meeting with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics during the former's visit to Riga on April 4.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal arrived in Latvia and met with his Latvian counterpart, Evika Silina, Shmyhal said on his Telegram channel on April 4.
The Latvian government approved on April 2 around 5.3 million euros (roughly $5.7 million) in support of Ukraine's reconstruction in 2024, as well as 4.3 million euros ($4.6 million) in defense assistance via the European Peace Facility.
Poland has decided to double its donation to the Czech-led initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in Riga on March 27, without providing a specific figure.
"Support from the U.S. has significantly helped Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania fast-track several military infrastructure and capability development projects," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in a statement.
Latvia's State Security Service (VDD) began investigating Tatjana Zdanoka, a Latvian member of the European Parliament accused of spying for Russia, the Latvian news outlet Delfi reported on March 16.
Eight hundred Russian citizens are at risk of being deported from Latvia because they have not yet applied for permanent or temporary residence.
The 367 people banned from entering Russia include a wide variety of current and former political and military leaders from the Baltic countries.
The Latvian government on March 5 approved a list of Russian and Belarusian agricultural and food products that will be banned from importing into the country since March 8.
Latvia has extended visa restrictions for Russian citizens until March 2025, the Latvian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on Feb. 27.
Latvia's Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze called on the European Union to add Russian foodstuffs to sanctions lists on Feb. 26, ahead of an EU Agriculture Ministers meeting in Brussels.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics argued that Russian grain imports support the Russian economy and, therefore, its army, and what is labeled as Russian grain may, in fact, be Ukrainian grain stolen from Russian-occupied territories.
