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Baiba Braže at NATO ministerial meeting: deterring Russia and helping Ukraine - the key task for the Alliance

Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

04.12.2024

NATO's long-term support to Ukraine, development of NATO's deterrence and defence capabilities, formulation, ahead of the Hague Summit (in June 2025), of a NATO strategic approach to constraining Russia, and engagement with the Southern Neighbourhood - those were key topics addressed at the Meeting of NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers in Brussels, Belgium, on 3-4 December 2024.

"Our problem is Russia, and Russia will not stop all by itself. Russia's efforts to escalate hostilities against Ukraine, including through deployment of the North Korean forces as well as by daily activities of aggressive and destabilizing hybrid warfare against NATO Allies, demonstrate Russia's readiness for a long-term confrontation. We must use all the instruments at our disposal - military, diplomatic, economic, and others - to strategically and effectively limit its capacity to replenish its military capabilities and, in general, to threaten Euro-Atlantic security. Russia needs to be constrained and stopped," the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, underlined at the meeting.

The Minister also stated: "At the political level, there is an agreement among NATO Allies - Ukraine will be a member of NATO, the question is, when and under what conditions. Allies must provide all possible support to Ukraine - sooner and more than before, as Ukraine's success on the battlefield is closely linked to security in Europe and globally. Moreover, the situation in the Euro-Atlantic area clearly demonstrates that Europe needs to make further investment in strengthening its defence capabilities and energizing the European defence industry, including through innovations and technologies, and by investing in the protection of critical seabed infrastructure, especially in the Baltic Sea."

In meetings with international media ahead of the ministerial, Baiba Braže underlined that it is important not to let Russia's escalating activities instil a sense of fear or doubt - either in society or among NATO Allies - about the need to continue providing support to Ukraine: "To intimidate and cause panic in society, to influence governments, to cast doubt on decisions in support of Ukraine - this, too, is part of Russia's instruments of war. Strengthening national security institutions and their cooperation in the Allied framework is therefore essential, while security services must reach out to the public, explain the situation and Russian methods of warfare."

At the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council with participation of the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha, the Foreign Minister of Latvia underlined that the Allies should urgently supply Ukraine with missile defence systems to respond to Russia's further strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and other strategic infrastructure facilities. Latvia is one most active supporters of Ukraine and is prepared to provide long-term military support to Ukraine by allocating 0.25% of GDP for this purpose until at least 2026. The Ministers also discussed the political, economic and security reforms implemented by Ukraine, which strengthen Ukraine's resilience and, at the same time, bring it closer to NATO membership.

The NATO-Ukraine Council meeting was also attended by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, with the aim of promoting closer and more coherent cooperation between NATO and the EU in providing support to Ukraine, as well as in ensuring that EU defence industry strategy meets the needs of NATO combat capabilities.