He noted that the Russian armed forces should not be underestimated simply because the war incurs economic costs for the country, and Russian society is increasingly beginning to realize what this means. "Let’s not be mistaken in thinking that this means a weakening of the Russian armed forces. Quite the opposite. We must understand that the Russian armed forces are actually well-developed," said Rinkēvičs. Compared to last year, the President of Latvia sees a number of positive changes. In particular, Ukraine has been able to withstand pressure, strike back, and make Russian society also feel part of the costs associated with the war. Rinkēvičs emphasized that there is a continuous competition in the field of military technologies: unmanned warfare systems, anti-drone defense, ballistic missiles, and interception systems are being developed. In his opinion, although Ukraine has made significant progress in this area, similar technological development is also occurring in Russia. The President of Latvia is convinced that the Ukrainian society and political leadership have the will to continue the fight, but Ukraine still needs comprehensive political, moral, and practical support. He explained that this concerns both military equipment, ballistic missile interceptors, and corresponding systems, as well as anti-drone defense means. Rinkēvičs noted that Ukraine also needs financial support so that it can continue the fight and the state can function. The President of Latvia again proposed to strengthen political and economic pressure on Russia and to agree on stricter sanctions. He acknowledged that the current sanctions regime is complex, as it contains many exceptions and nuances, thus a unified European approach is necessary. Rinkēvičs emphasized that Latvia's position on frozen Russian assets has not changed: they should be used to support Ukraine. He acknowledged that reaching consensus on this issue among all 27 EU member states is not easy. The President of Latvia stressed that EU countries must jointly bear both responsibility and costs. In his opinion, it cannot be that one country bears all the pressure from Russia while other EU states "stand aside and wish good luck" to countries that may face Russian pressure. Speaking about regional security, the President of Latvia emphasized that there is currently no concentration of Russian conventional armed forces near the borders of the Baltic states or other NATO countries. However, the security situation this year is significantly different from that of 2021, as technologies have changed. He urged NATO and the EU to seek new ways to respond to diversions, cyberattacks, espionage, and other provocations that do not reach the level of conventional military attack. The President of Latvia also touched upon the issue of security spending. Rinkēvičs emphasized that allocating 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) for defense may prove insufficient.
