Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation, Russia

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Straujuma emphasized that EU leaders discussed possible sanctions against Russia this past weekend if it continues its military aggression towards Ukraine, and that all member states unanimously supported imposing additional sanctions against Russia, even though Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Cyprus did express their concerns afterwards.

She said that the discussions regarding possible sanctions against Russia were very long amongst EU leaders, and that some EU members expressed their skepticism whether additional sanctions would be effective, as all countries, including Latvia, are analyzing the impact such sanctions would have on their own countries.

In the end, ''everyone agreed to the sanctions, as there is really no other solution for us, as nobody wishes to get involved in a military conflict'', Straujuma said.

Asked whether the enhanced presence of Russian soldiers on the ground in Ukraine means that the threat level against Latvia has increased, the prime minister said that she believes this is not true, as Latvia is both a member of NATO and the European Union. The prime minister pointed out that NATO is currently drawing up measure so that the organization would be more prepared for security challenges.

Straujuma also emphasized that the Baltic states believe that a more permanent NATO presence is needed in the region, and she is confident that such a decision will be made during the upcoming NATO Summit.

In an interview on Latvian Television this morning, President Andris Berzins said that a solution to the military conflict between Ukraine and Russia, according to the rest of the world, is possible only through diplomacy, allowing viewers to realize that direct involvement by third countries in this war is unlikely.

''I am confident that there is no solution other than a diplomatic one,'' the politician added.

According to the president, the world must do everything so that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has ''no desire to reach Kiev''. He said that even though NATO is the largest military force in the world, the alliance must continue to strengthen itself in reaction to Russia's aggressive stance. ''The weak eventually always lose,'' Berzins said.

The president emphasized that the U.S. will retain the leading role within NATO, but that Europe must continue to develop its defensive capabilities.

Ahead of this week's NATO Summit, Berzins will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Tallinn. According to the Latvian president, the meeting with Obama will be part of the measure to improve the alliance's collective security system in the region, which was initially started a year ago, when the U.S. invited the Baltic presidents for talks in Washington. ''Clearly, our U.S. partners were very farseeing, and began to prepare for new international security challenges in due time,'' the politician pointed out.

Berzins also thanked the United States for substantially increasing its military presence in Latvia, but added that more complex solutions are needed to reduce Europe's security threats. He said that NATO must become more mobile and ready for security challenges, and added that Latvia too much strengthen it defense capabilities.

Overall, the president believes that Latvia is no less safe than any other NATO members.

Meanwhile, speaking about additional sanctions against Russia, Berzins said that Latvian is evaluating the consequences of such sanctions. He said that Latvia will certainly feel the consequences of additional EU sanctions against Russia.