Latvian Political Monitor

@DzivojuLatvija @Apvienotais_ I can't, because the CIA itself must comment on that. I can only say one thing: the purpose of the visit is important and positive for Latvia. The USA is our ally.

'Cloud economy' 🙂 https://t.co/anZcXsvUNq

I welcomed @eucopresident to Riga today for a very important and productive meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office. 🇱🇻🇪🇺 We discussed the EU’s next seven-year Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), where I stressed the importance of strong European support for the countries on the EU’s Eastern Flank. Countries protecting the EU’s external border against an aggressor are investing not only in their own national security, but in the security of Europe as a whole. This responsibility must be properly reflected in the next EU budget. There can be no strong defense without a strong economy — and no strong economy without security. Watch the full interview at the link below.

Day No. 60 (TUESDAY) — cybersecurity, border, and order in state administration Tuesday started immediately with serious questions: 🛡️ Extraordinary meeting on cybersecurity ➖️ CSDD data security incident. I have already published a separate video about this, so I won't repeat it all. 🔗Links: [https://t.co/AXkr1kIlhC] 🏛️ Cabinet of Ministers meeting ➖️ VILKATIS — data on pushed-back border crossers shows that the operation is working. A migrant transporter was also detained at the time of committing the crime. ➖️ The second tunnel has been discovered on the border. For comparison — in Lithuania, a total of 7 tunnels have been discovered. This again shows with what methods they are trying to test and circumvent our border security. ➖️ We also advanced a draft law on the use of land for national defense needs, so that in acute and nationally important moments we could act quickly rather than get stuck in procedures. 👥 Prime Minister's office meeting and work planning ➖️ NGO Memorandum Council — the State Chancellery has prepared changes to the procedure. Payment for Council members for participation in meetings at the ministerial table will be abolished. I believe that participation in dialogue with the government cannot in itself become a paid position. ➖️ In the re-announced competition for the Director of the State Chancellery, where requirements were normalized and made more reasonable, 18 applications have already been received. In the previous competition there were only 6. That is already a good signal. I hope that among the candidates there will be capable people with the ambition not just to administer the system, but to help change it. 💪🇱🇻 I congratulate my office colleague and advisor @Bolevics on obtaining the honorary family status of 3 children – the birth of a daughter!!! We in Latvia need large, strong families. Health to the mother and children.

I express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of our 🇱🇻 volunteer soldier Vitālijs Šampiņš "Vilks", who died heroically defending 🇺🇦 against the attack of the 🇷🇺 occupiers. His plaque will be added next to the other 🇱🇻 Latvians, the other Vitālijs Smirnovs, Edgars Platonovs, Ņikita Sladzevskis, Antons Ģiedraitis and Maksims Čugunovs, where, remembering them, I laid flowers on Saturday. The beautiful monument is located at the GRU entrance in Kyiv.

Yesterday, on Ukraine's Independence Day, I was presented with an order that belongs to the entire Latvian people. I publicly accepted it, saying loudly - "this order is due to every Latvian resident who tirelessly supports Ukrainian soldiers and residents, because we know very well...." Fellow countrymen, this order is for you, for everyone who has given their money, time, energy, thoughts and heart for Ukraine, for the victory of good over evil! This award is for each of you - I just brought it home from Kyiv!

@Krisjanis_K It will be. In the next video... there are so many insights, concrete examples, and already solutions that a separate podcast needs to be made.

🇺🇦 3 days in Ukraine — silence before the storm of cruise missiles. Independence Day, war and cooperation PART 1 - first part There is one thing I can say with absolute clarity after this visit — what we in Latvia experience as an emergency situation for one weekend is everyday life in Ukraine. Every day. Every night. We have much to learn and adopt from them. The scale of problems that 🇺🇦 feels, solves and goes through is unimaginable — and they cope! And Ukrainians have learned to coordinate services extremely effectively, use limited resources and make decisions in circumstances where mistakes come at a very high price. In the crisis management center - the service dispatch center, there is a unified system for all services together with the military center and coordination - fantastic cooperation and resource transfer. 🇺🇦 This was my first - three-day state visit to Ukraine — on the day of the Ukrainian National Flag and during Independence Day celebrations. Russia with its brutal war of occupation has already taken 5 years from Ukraine's 35 years of independence. I not only congratulate President @zelenskyyUA and the Ukrainian people on their ability to defend their independence and fight for their country. I used these three days as practically as possible. 🤝 I met with President Zelensky, Ukrainian Prime Minister @KoretskyiUA , the Defense Minister, the leadership of military intelligence, SBU and other structures. I also visited: ➖️ military operations command center; ➖️ radar and air defense center; ➖️ crisis management center; ➖️ drone attack center LASAR ➖ several military and security structures. From this visit I bring home not only political discussions, but also very concrete contacts, cooperation projects, systems, solutions and potential contracts that we can also use to strengthen Latvia's defense capabilities. 🌙 The presence of our — EU and other allied leaders — in Kyiv was in a way also an opportunity for local residents to finally sleep more peacefully. Putin usually does not allow massive missile attacks when a large number of foreign leaders are in the city. However, during dinner at President Zelensky's, the air raid siren also sounded for us. Air defense worked, and "Shahed" drones were shot down just about 5 km away from us. That quickly reminds you where you really are. 🌍 During the visit there were both NB8 — Nordic-Baltic countries, and Coalition of the Willing meetings with about 30 European and international allies. The overall feeling was very similar: there is no logic in spending enormous energy on organizing peace talks if the aggressor himself is not ready to really negotiate. 🕊️ Peace talks are in the hands of Ukraine and President Zelensky. Our — European and allied — task is to provide Ukraine with everything possible so that it can gain an advantage on the battlefield. If Ukraine reaches real peace talks, we must support them. But until then, Ukraine must be given resources so that it does not enter negotiations from a position of weakness. ⚔️ Ukrainians, with an innovative approach very different from traditional military thinking, have managed to achieve maximum effect with limited resources. (83% of people in service are not from the military sphere) But right now there are very significant technological and strategic changes in the war — unfortunately not all in Ukraine's favor. ❄️ Winter 🇺🇦 will be very hard. 🔴 Russia is preparing to strike Ukraine's critical infrastructure — electricity, heating and water supply. 🔴 The Ukrainian side reports that Russia has currently accumulated about 600 cruise missiles, but by the end of winter it can produce about 700 more. That means potentially up to 1300 missiles. 🔴 The availability of air defense missiles is much lower than the possible scale of Russian attacks. To reliably intercept one target, sometimes several interceptor missiles are needed. 🔴 Russia is already capable of equipping "Shahed" type drones with jet engines. They become significantly faster and much harder to intercept. 🔴 Russia, together with CHINA, is actively developing alternative STARLINK satellite communication and control systems, which could significantly increase its attack capabilities as early as December. 🔴 The new war conditions make Ukraine's defense increasingly expensive — more air defense systems, missiles, drones, electronic warfare tools and ammunition are needed. 💰 And here is a question for us in Europe as well. As long as some countries help Russia circumvent sanctions, continue to buy Russian energy resources, allow shadow fleet operations or allow Western components to reach Russia's military industry, we are actually helping to finance the next missiles that will fly at Ukrainian cities. That is why my position is clear: ⛔ The flow of Western technologies and components into Russia's missile and weapons production must be completely stopped. 💶 The frozen Russian assets (worth 200b €, which covers a whole year of war costs in Ukraine) must be used much more actively for Ukraine's support, rather than endlessly relying only on European taxpayers' money. Hundreds of billions of euros of Russian funds are frozen in Europe. The aggressor must pay for its war. 🚫 I also insist on a firm position — Russia must not be normalized and quietly allowed back into the international arena while it continues its aggression. - Not in sports. - Not in culture. - Not in music. Russia also uses sports, culture and international presence to legitimize its state and regime. 🕯️ During the visit I also visited the memorial for fallen special forces soldiers. There are also two plaques with the names of our compatriots — Maksims Čugunovs and Vitālijs Smirnovs. That is a very heavy reminder of the price people pay for Ukraine's and thus also our freedom. 🇺🇦 Ukrainians must win. There is no other option. Good forces must prevail over the aggressor. And Latvia together with all of Europe must do everything possible for that to happen. 🇱🇻🤝🇺🇦

Met with the new PM of 🇺🇦. Our conversation came together very quickly because we both come from the private sector, from business, from leading large private companies. We are about numbers, deals, cooperation, and results. We quickly got down to business and addressed mutually beneficial/important issues of cooperation between our countries.

What is that?

@DavidsZalans Overall, the SAFE 3.5b€ loan is a decision under Siliņa's government. Refusing it would mean a total vacuum in defense... there were no options, defense is a priority

Filip, you're mixing something up here. Hungary and specifically Orbán was the one who normalized and prevented many 🇷🇺 from being put on sanctions. Latvia has always been for putting all supporters of 🇷🇺 aggression on sanctions. In the 21st sanctions package, the 🇷🇺 sports minister was specifically put back on sanctions.

Two ways to solve Ukraine's budget deficit in the military sphere: 1. Prevent Russia from receiving money and equipment to produce missiles 2. Solve Ukraine's ability to timely destroy ballistic missile launcher systems