The American presence in the Baltic countries is important to protect Russia from possible aggression

Responding to a question from a correspondent of the Russian media service, Jānis Garisons, State Secretary of the Latvian Defense Ministry, pointed out that the deployment of nuclear weapons by Moscow on the territory of Belarus, announced recently by the Russian President, would lead to a worsening of the situation in the region.
Alexander Yanevsky: Mr. Secretary, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. How will this affect the security situation in the region?
Janis Garisons: Russia’s declaration on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus seems to be such a demonstrative step that leads to a further escalation of the situation in the region. From a Russian perspective, this makes some sense, given its failures in Ukraine. Of course, NATO should analyze it. On the other hand, we have been following for years the actions of the Belarusian government and its military cooperation with Russia. Now it’s at its peak, their armed forces are very integrated. And, of course, we have to watch very carefully how these nuclear warheads will be delivered to Belarus, if that happens, and what kind of military effect that will have on NATO.
A.Ya. : Latvia’s military aid to Ukraine has already reached 1% of GDP. Does Riga plan to support Kiev in the future?
Ya.G. : Unfortunately, Latvia also experienced occupation – in 1940, but we did not fight the Soviet invasion. In the events of 2014, and then 2022, there is a repeat of the events of 1940. Many Latvians remember what it means to go through the Russian occupation. Unfortunately, Russia’s current actions in Ukraine are worse than what Moscow did in Latvia in 1940 and late 1945.
Latvia’s support for Ukraine began even before the full-scale invasion last February. I think you will be interested to know that we sent the Stinger missiles exactly one day before the invasion. I hope they really played an important role in defeating the Russian forces, preventing them from landing near Kiev. We have supplied a lot of weapons, ammunition, anti-tank weapons, air defense systems, and we will continue to supply weapons and systems that were produced in Latvia, such as drones. Most of this aid consists of the permanent training of Ukrainian soldiers in Latvia. We plan to train more than 2,000 Ukrainians this year.
Another part of the help is the support of the Latvian society. There is constant fundraising to support Ukraine. There are volunteers delivering humanitarian aid, drones, etc. This demonstrates the deep ties between our peoples – Ukrainians were not left alone with the Russian invasion. We will support Ukrainians not only at the governmental level, but also as Latvian citizens.
A.Ya. : What conclusions have been drawn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine ? What lessons have been learned?
Ya.G. : All assumptions about what the wars of the future will be like have been proven wrong. We are back to World War II: we need a big army and a lot of ammunition. We must ensure that the necessary capacities exist for the production of ammunition and weapons. I think we learned a lot of lessons. And since Russia is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future, it will continue to pose a threat that we must be prepared to counter.
A.Ya. : How do you assess the cooperation between the United States and Latvia in the field of defense and security?
Ya.G. : This is one of the main axes of our cooperation. The United States has given us great support and has played a leading role in restoring our independence and then guaranteeing our security, as well as in the process of joining NATO. We view American leadership in the Baltic region as an essential security element. We worked together on many projects: developing defense potential, conducting various exercises. Here it is worth noting the partnership with the Michigan National Guard, with which we have been cooperating for more than 30 years. Latvia also participated in the operation together, even in operations such as in Afghanistan, as well as in a joint training mission in Liberia. We consider the American presence in the Baltic countries to be important. This is extremely important to prevent Russia from possible aggression.