On 10 July President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs met with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau at the Riga Castle to thank Canada for its military presence in Latvia and to express Latvia's readiness to continue working on the expansion of the presence and the establishment of a combat-capable brigade. During the meeting, the parties also discussed the support both countries have provided to Ukraine, as well as economic cooperation, especially in innovation, high technology and investment.
They discussed the priorities of the forthcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, as well as the situation in Russia and Belarus. President Rinkēvičs expressed his conviction that the NATO Summit in Vilnius should make progress on the Alliance's new deterrence and defence plans.
"Latvia's goal is the permanent deployment of air and missile defence assets in the Baltic states. We expect a clear roadmap for future NATO-Ukraine relations from the NATO Summit in Vilnius. I would also like to express my gratitude for Canada's significant assistance to Ukraine," emphasised President Rinkēvičs.
The President expressed his satisfaction with Latvia's cooperation with Canada to achieve a common goal - to end Russia's impunity for its crimes of aggression against Ukraine. In the conversation, E. Rinkēvičs emphasised that the establishment of a special tribunal for crimes of aggression against Ukraine is essential to ensure full accountability, including on the part of Russia's top leadership.
