Latvia and Ukraine sign 10-year bilateral security agreement
Ukraine and Latvia have signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X on Thursday during a visit to neighbouring Lithuania.
The agreement states that Latvia’s annual military support to Ukraine will be 0.25 per cent of GDP. “Latvia has also made a 10-year commitment to assist Ukraine with cyber defence, demining and unmanned technologies,” Zelensky said on X. Latvia will also support Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO.
"I am grateful to our friend and partner, Latvia," he said. "This is precisely the specificity and predictability that our struggle for freedom and independence requires."
Zelensky arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Thursday to seek support in the fight against Russia. He is attending a meeting of the Three Seas Initiative, made up of 13 EU member states located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas. His visit comes as Moscow steps up its aerial bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, prompting Kyiv to renew its calls for further Western military aid.
On arrival at Vilnius Airport, he was received by his Lithuanian counterpart, Gitanas Nauseda. The two leaders discussed Ukraine’s needs at a time when military support from Western allies appears to be waning.
Ahead of the meeting, Zelensky told journalists that air defence was “the biggest challenge”, as Russia launched another “massive” air attack on Thursday, hitting the city of Kharkiv and targeting energy installations across the country.
“You know that we were attacked today, last night, early in the morning. Once again, Kharkiv, once again, Odessa, Zaporizhzhia, the Kyiv region, many of our regions, many of our people," said Zelensky. “This is why air defence is the number one priority for us.”
The presence of Zelensky may alter the agenda of the Three Seas Initiative summit. The leaders, including Latvia's Edgars Rinkevics, Polish president Andrzej Duda and Czech president Petr Pavel, were initially due to discuss the strengthening of cooperation in transport, energy and cybersecurity.
Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for talks with Lithuania's president in Vilnius, Lithuania, 11 April 2024 © PHOTO PETRAS MALUKAS / AFP
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