On 11 May, President of Latvia Egils Levits met with the Governor of Michigan, Mrs Gretchen Whitmer at the Riga Castle.
During the meeting, the President of Latvia emphasised the invaluable importance of the US military presence in Latvia not only for the security of the Baltic region but for the entire Eastern flank of NATO. At the same time, President Levits noted that it was important to continue work on the deployment of a brigade-sized NATO unit in Latvia and cooperation in constructing a military base.
E. Levits informed the Governor of Michigan about Latvia's continuous support to Ukraine since the first day of the war and the regional security situation in general. President Levits also spoke about the work on the idea of an ad hoc international tribunal to try the crime of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
G. Whitmer expressed satisfaction with Latvia's clear, consistent position and all-around support for Ukraine.
Both sides agreed on the need to strengthen military support to Ukraine. The Western world must help Ukraine win this war, which is a fight not only for Ukraine's freedom but for the values of the whole democratic world, said E. Levits and G. Whitmer.
It should be noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the official cooperation between the Michigan National Guard and the Latvian National Armed Forces. Both sides welcomed the friendly relations and expressed readiness to strengthen them further.
