Edgars Rinkēvičs stated that Russia lacks the troops for an invasion of NATO but urged the Alliance to prepare for any escalation.
Edgars Rinkēvičs / © Associated Press
The President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, does not rule out the possibility of escalation from Russia against NATO countries, but believes that Moscow currently does not have the resources for a full-scale attack on the Alliance.
The Latvian leader announced this in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
“We must be ready. No options can be excluded. But I would say that we should not be afraid. We simply need to convey a very, very short and weighty message: if Russia challenges NATO, the Alliance will respond appropriately,” Rinkēvičs said.
He added that as of today, Russia does not have the troops to carry out a full-scale invasion of any NATO country. The President of Latvia also emphasized that Europe’s security is closely linked to Ukraine, as stable peace cannot be achieved without the European continent. And Ukraine’s integration into the EU is a direct security interest of the union itself.
The Latvian leader added that even spending 5% of GDP on defense will not help if factories cannot keep up with arms production.
“You have the money, but you also need to have the weapons, missiles, equipment that you can buy with that money. And here we see that we have some problems with the defense industry,” he explained.
Rinkēvičs also assessed Europe’s chances of defending itself independently if the United States reduces its troop numbers. According to him, European countries will need a lot of time and money for the army and equipment to reach the level of US defense.
“I would say that today the United States is indispensable in the defense of Europe and in making NATO successful as an Alliance,” the President of Latvia concluded.
Russia is “breaching” NATO borders — latest news:
We remind you that US and European intelligence agencies are warning that Russia is preparing military provocations against Poland and the Baltic states in the near future. Due to constant threats and Russian drones in its airspace, Poland is actively preparing to defend itself: a large army reserve is being created there, and civilians are already being trained to act in case of war.
The US has also repeatedly warned Poland about a possible Russian-prepared armed provocation, which, according to sources, could occur within the next few months.
By the way, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are developing an evacuation plan for 400,000 people in case of a Russian attack. The Baltic states have long been warning their NATO partners about potential Russian aggression.
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