Minister Sprūds and Secretary General Stoltenberg discuss NATO’s deterrence and defence, and support for Ukraine

Defence Minister Andris Sprūds met with Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg during his visit to Brussels. 

“We had a productive meeting that focused on NATO’s future deterrence and defence plans, which would be activated when a swift response is required. Secretary General and I also agreed that we need to continue to provide long-term support to Ukraine. We also need to step up our plans for upgrading our collective air and missile defence capabilities. These are some of the topics we will discuss during the next NATO Summit in Washington D.C. later this year in July,” Defence Minister Sprūds said. 

Minister’s visit to Belgian capital also included a meeting with Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee of NATO. Main topics of conversation included development of Latvia’s military capabilities and current priorities of NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia. Minister Sprūds also met with ambassadors of NATO countries that constitute allied forces deployed to Latvia. Regional security environment, host country support provided by Latvia and future engagement of allies in Latvia were the main issues discussed. 

29 March 2024 will mark 20 years since Latvia joined NATO – the most powerful political and military alliance in the world. NATO membership is the cornerstone of Latvia’s security and has contributed to major upgrade of military capabilities and resilience of the Latvian army.

Media contacts: 

MoD Military Public Affairs Department
Media Relations Section
Phone: 67335393
E-mail: prese@mod.gov.lv