Latvian Political Monitor

@Caifaric_yahoo @AivarsMarkots @romans_melniks These numbers contain practically nothing from AB and RB. That's just how it is.

A perfectly good and precise detailed plan, also mentioning the names of @Progresivie's second-echelon strivers. Adding to the author. No one says the Archer is bad. It's simply too expensive for us. Paraphrasing @AndrisKulbergs's quote: 'We want to ride in a Bentley, but the money is for a Škoda.' https://t.co/e3tiseneNd

Shut up, communist. The state is not a milk cow. These are expenditures for defense, health, education. All from VAT and excise.

@instant_mk Impressive is that finally there is a stance not to bend, but to buy what army professionals consider necessary. Currently we have a professional in the AM post, not Münchausen. Second. In the Telia matter, what has been the Swedish position? They are and remain our partners, but there must be a stance.

I will gladly do it when I can. Meanwhile, you can ask your ex-minister about these 'strange' decisions and promises. About 3 lost years that were lost to national defense... I am at a loss for words... 🇺🇦 gives us the most precious = time to prepare, but you with your PRO 'politics' wasted it... why???, I still cannot understand

@guntars_h @Apvienotais_ It must be understood that Ukrainian info also needs to be divided by 2, because any method of raising issues more sharply than they are is beneficial to them, since they lack military support, Western societies get tired, but the war continues and becomes more expensive.

🇱🇻 I see that the public is anxious while following international news. I want to reassure - there is no reason for panic!! We take the security situation seriously. 🇵🇱 The Polish Prime Minister has published an intelligence risk assessment on possible Russian actions in the coming months. However, it is not a statement about a specific or imminent attack on Poland, Latvia, or any other NATO country. 📢 You know that I communicate openly, also about negative facts. But right now there is no reason for concern. 🤝 I am in constant contact with the services. This week I also met with EU leaders who attended the Arctic Summit. ✅ Currently there is no information indicating a particularly high level of threat. I can confirm that Russia is not ready for war and is not capable of a conventional attack. 🛡️ NATO support is stronger than ever. Our border guard and services are vigilant – a number of operations are underway on the border, military exercises are taking place, and German fighters will additionally patrol the airspace during elections. However, we must remain vigilant. Our society is well informed about threats and knows our eastern neighbor well. Of course, the Russian election context intensifies the volume of disinformation and propaganda. 🔍 I am carefully following the situation, meeting with the services, and speaking with both Ukrainian and EU leaders. The responsible services constantly monitor the situation and exchange information with our allies. I can reassure you! If a real threat arises, I will inform you immediately.

Day No.75 in the prime minister's chair (Thursday) – 🇱🇻 world-class ammunition and ✈️ AirBaltic decision Today (Friday, 11 Sept) I went to Latvia's largest ammunition manufacturer, Ammunity, in Bauska. 🇸🇪 Swedish investors have invested approximately 40 million euros in the company, which for Latvia means its own production, its own stockpiles, its own competence and expertise. 💥 AMMUNITY + Baltic Bullets (Rēzekne) ➖️ In military production, it is essential to involve Latvian industry as much as possible, so that 30–40% of money spent on defense returns to the Latvian economy. ➖️ Ammunition production has enormous strategic importance. It is precisely production capacity in a crisis that determines whether a country can ensure its own supply and defense. ➖️ Ammunity produces a wide range of ammunition, allowing it to compete even in large international procurements. 🎯 A special Latvian success story is the jointly patented production technology of Ammunity and Baltic Bullets. Top-tier sniper ammunition has been developed, intended to be supplied even to 🇺🇸 US Army snipers. This was achieved through an unconventional and innovative approach to bullet design and production. The highest precision in the industry can bring Latvia's name to the world. ⚡️ Speed + specialization could become Latvia's “Nokia” in the military industry. But we again ran into obstacles of our own making. ⚠️ In Latvia, there is effectively no regulation specifically adapted for military production. I discussed the situation with R. Melnis – action will follow. A military factory cannot operate under the same principles as an ordinary civilian facility. We must reduce bureaucracy and legal overregulation where it directly hinders an industry important to national security. ➖️ The NBS lacks engineers and technical specialists who could precisely define technical specifications in procurement projects. ➖️ The NBS and the State Defense and Logistics Procurement Center do not have sufficient testing capabilities to independently verify the quality of products offered by Ammunity and other Latvian manufacturers. This is also important for fair and high-quality procurements. 🏗️ Even installing barbed wire on the factory territory can get stuck in the municipal building board's approvals. In a situation where military threats from 🇷🇺 are not a theory and we see similar security problems in 🇪🇪, we must critically review building regulations, environmental requirements, and protection zone rules in the military sphere. It turns out that Latvia has no fully developed special regulatory framework for military production. This must be changed immediately. I have instructed to tackle it immediately. I will give the task to prepare the necessary solutions, because it is not normal that military production is forced to operate under standard civilian rules, creating bureaucracy, uncertainty, and delays. 🚁💥 A very interesting novelty is also anti-drone ammunition developed in Latvia. The bullet's head contains five fragmentation elements that, when fired from a standard weapon, create a shot-like spread and can help neutralize a drone at approximately 30–50 meters. This means a soldier does not necessarily need another specialized weapon – it is possible to use the same weapon, just changing the ammunition magazine. 🌍 I see very large export potential here. ✈️ AirBaltic extraordinary meeting Today was also one of the heaviest and most significant AirBaltic decision moments. We evaluated the bondholder strategy and all possible scenarios. The situation is extremely complicated, but we jointly made a bold decision to move AirBaltic toward restructuring using the 🇺🇸 US Chapter 11 legal protection process. Why? Because the problem must no longer be kicked down the road again. Consultants have secured the possibility to attract competitive, world-leading bank-level financing for the restructuring process. 💶 We responsibly weighed the risks and benefits and decided not to burn taxpayers' money just because elections are approaching. ✈️ The adopted solution provides for maintaining AirBaltic's flight capability and service provision to customers during restructuring. After this decision, the government has done everything necessary so that: ➖️ AirBaltic's board, ➖️ council, ➖️ and the Ministry of Transport as shareholder have all necessary instruments for the company's restructuring and attracting a strategic investor. Now is the time not to postpone problems but to solve them.

Germany, at our request, will intensively guard our airspace during the elections on October 1/2/3. Thanks to @_FriedrichMerz for support Our allies are with Latvia. This is a concrete demonstration of NATO solidarity and our common commitment to protect Latvia's airspace and people's safety. Thank you Germany for responsiveness and close cooperation!

There is no place for Russia's war economy in Latvia. 🚫 Also, the transit of Russian and Belarusian grain must not continue to bring profit to the aggressor states. The amendments to the law adopted by the Saeima today will allow to significantly increase the railway infrastructure fee and make this transit more expensive until Russian ports in Latvia are no longer economically advantageous. This is a legally grounded and practically feasible step towards the complete cessation of transit. At the same time, in cooperation with Ukraine, the United Kingdom and France, a mechanism for determining the origin of grain is being developed. If grain stolen in the occupied territories of Ukraine is found in cargo, it will be evidence of a serious Russian crime. We have an obligation to use all legal instruments so that Latvia does not become a transit corridor for financing Russia's war. 🇱🇻🇺🇦 Video: TV24 Ziņu TOP | 17.09.2026

Strong economy can only deliver strong defence https://t.co/o3uudCbzLF

Day No.74 in the prime minister's chair (Wednesday) — TET data center, debates and 🇺🇦 Budanov at the Motor Museum. 🏢 OPENING OF TET DATA CENTER IN SALASPILS Latvia must become a leader in speed in the application of artificial intelligence. Did you know that TET stores almost 20% of Ukraine's state data on Latvian servers and provides cybersecurity services? We opened TET's new DC7 data center @SalaspilsLv — one of the most modern data centers in Latvia, also built for artificial intelligence technology needs. ➖️ Meets high security standards and is certified for Tier III level. ➖️ Data can be stored right here 🇱🇻 in Latvia, while creating backup infrastructure in Europe if needed. ➖️ The data center is connected to the largest optical internet network nodes in Latvia and international internet exchange points in Europe. ➖️ Even drone detection capabilities have been established. ➖️ A particularly good example of using residual heat in cooperation with Salaspils Siltums — the generated heat is not simply released into the air, but is used for heating. This is exactly what modern infrastructure projects should be — security, technology and energy efficiency in one place. 🛡️ THE RIGA CONFERENCE BUSINESS FORUM 2026 — “SECURITY AS A DRIVER OF GROWTH” At the LU business forum, I emphasized a simple principle: Strong security is possible only together with a strong economy. Latvia invests approximately 2 billion euros annually in defense. My goal is to ensure that 30–40% of this money returns to the Latvian economy, developing our own defense industry, technologies, manufacturing and exports. A secure border cannot exist without a strong economy. 🇱🇻 @amchamlat UKCHam NordicsCham DEBATES WITH PRIME MINISTER CANDIDATES In the debates, I put the main emphasis on the economy, a balanced budget and Latvia's ability to earn more. My formula is simple: 💪 Strong economy = strong defence 📈 Strong economy = strong development 💶 Bringing new money = new economy 🌍 Export — including military industry 🏦 Less excessive caution and restrictions in the banking sector Latvia needs an economy that not only distributes existing money, but can create and attract new money. 🇺🇦 KYRYL BUDANOV AT THE MOTOR MUSEUM Meeting with Kyrylo Budanov at the Motor Museum. We talked about: ➖️ 🇺🇦 Ukraine's view of the security situation and the time we have to prepare; ➖️ 🇷🇺 The issue of Russia's stolen 🇺🇦 Ukrainian grain; ➖️ Latvia's readiness to help Ukraine with its grain exports. And another very apt comparison by Budanov, standing next to Brezhnev's Rolls-Royce. He described Russia's approach roughly like this: if Russia cannot fix Brezhnev's Rolls-Royce, it is simpler not to fix the car, but to ban Brezhnev from driving it. A fairly precise example of how the 🇷🇺 system works. 🙂 I also gave 3 interviews, Polish TV, EuroNews and UKR press. Everyone was interested in the security issue, Latvia's readiness, peace talks in Ukraine and Russia's attack on NATO.

Freshest interview for Polish television - Baltic security, Russia threat, Latvia's readiness and elections (below is link to the full interview on YouTube) https://t.co/fhlWTITYZa

At yesterday's Arctic Summit 2026 🇫🇮 press conference, answering a journalist's question about the 🇪🇺 waning support for 🇺🇦 https://t.co/CswWyrZ4aS