After meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, on 9–10 September President of Latvia Egils Levits took part in the Yalta European Strategy conference, where several panel discussions focused on Western unity and support for Ukraine, investigation of the crimes committed by Russian aggressors, the restoration of international order and the sanctions policy as a tool in the fight against Russia’s aggression.
“Russia has started an ideological war not only against Ukraine, but also the world. Our duty in this war is quite simple – to provide all possible military, financial, humanitarian and political support for Ukraine. This is our contribution to the security and freedom of Ukraine and the whole of Europe. I believe that after its victory Ukraine will be one of the strongest countries in Europe – restored from ruins, a European, modern, economically stable state with a unified nation of Ukrainians,” President Levits said at the opening of the conference.
The President of Latvia also stressed: “Negotiations with the aggressor about possible compromises are unsustainable, as true peace can be achieved only if both sides abide by international law. Any pressure whatsoever on Ukraine to accept, to any extent, territorial losses will not lead to peace, but quite the opposite – it will create more threats in future, and these will be even more extensive.”
The President of Latvia also noted that a topical issue today is the resilience of democracy. “Democracy is facing both external challenges – with the aggression launched against a democratic European state, and internal challenges – mistrust of government, populism etc. Today, democracy is under stress. A resilient democracy is the foundation of our well-being. The restoration of the international, peaceful order is equally important. I have no doubt that this is important for all the other 192 member states of the United Nations, as well.”
During the discussion about the sanctions policy implemented so far and planned in future against the aggressor, Russia, the President of Latvia said that “it is very important to maintain the sanctions against Russia until the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine are restored in full”. “Latvia greatly appreciates the stability, international peace and security guaranteed by international law. Any attempts to undermine this international order must be thwarted,” the President of Latvia said.
When discussing with youths how Russia uses misinformation and fake news to promote its propaganda, the President of Latvia noted that “we all have a civic duty to counter the information war launched by Russia”. President Levits also emphasised that having already experienced an information war against it for several years, Latvia has learned to recognise and fight against Russia's propaganda and can share this experience with other states.
