“Ukraine can rely on further support from Latvia, and the new military support package will provide additional capacity to stop Russia and its atrocities,” emphasized Prime Minister Evika Siliņa during the meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held at the Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday 11 January.
On Thursday, an agreement between the Governments of Latvia and Ukraine was signed at the Cabinet of Ministers, which regulates the cooperation in the fields of technical and financial assistance between Latvia and Ukraine. The joint memorandum of the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine and the Latvian Federation of Security and Defence Industries was also signed.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasised, “Mr. President, Latvia stands, has stood and will stand with Ukraine. Your people can rely on further military, political and financial support from Latvia. We have made and we will deliver on our promises both in Latvia, in the European Union and in support of your paths towards NATO membership. It is natural for us to support Ukraine because Latvia has experienced the evil –the atrocities by the Soviet occupation regime. Unfortunately, this same evil has resurrected today in Russia. The Ukrainian people struggle admirably to defend their homes and families, while at the same time undertaking reforms to join the European Union. The expulsion of occupational forces from Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine are our common goals. Latvia’s new military assistance package to Ukraine includes the supply of weapons, munition, drones, artillery and equipment, as well as further training of soldiers. Freedom in Ukraine implies security in Europe and in the world. We will win, glory to Ukraine!”
Latvia has been providing diverse support to Ukraine since 24 February 2022, including military, financial, reconstruction and humanitarian assistance. The total aid has exceeded EUR 600 million. The bulk of this amount is made up of military support. It is important to note that this support was provided not only by the state and local government institutions, but also by the general public, as well as by actively engaging in various civic activities and donating.
The funds for the reconstruction of Ukraine are envisaged in the 2024 budget of Latvia. Their effective and efficient use will be responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economics. The Ministry of Defence of Latvia has prepared a military support package for Ukraine for 2024, which includes ammunition, equipment and training for soldiers.
It is planned that the rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers will continue at least in the extent of 2023, as well as the exchange of experience in the field of medicine, including microsurgery and rehabilitation. Support to Ukraine remains a priority of Latvia’s international contributions and development cooperation.
The Prime Minister also assured V. Zelenskyy that Latvia will continue to support Ukrainian civilians who have fled from the war to our country. Since March 2022, 52660 Ukrainian civilians have been registered in Latvia.
The officials also discussed the future sanction policy against Russia, measures against circumvention of sanctions, possibilities to use frozen Russia’s funds in support of Ukraine, as well as holding Russia accountable for the crimes of aggression.
Prior to the meeting of delegations at the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia Krišjānis Kariņš and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, signed an agreement on technical and financial cooperation. Under this agreement, Latvia commits to continue providing support to Ukraine. The agreement provides for the establishment of legitimate arrangements to regulate cooperation in the fields of technical and financial assistance between Latvia and Ukraine.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine and the Federation of Security and Defence Industries of Latvia on cooperation between defence and security industries was also signed by Elīna Egle, Chairperson of the Board of the Latvian Federation of Security and Defence Industries, and Sergiy Boyev, Deputy Minister for European Integration of the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine. Cooperation between Latvian and Ukrainian defence industry companies will be strengthened, especially in the field of the supply and production of unmanned aircraft, land vehicles and other autonomous platforms, electronic warfare solutions and other innovations.
