Latvia

The finalists of Eurovision-2025 have been determined in Basel after two semi-finals. Ukraine has reached the final, where the founding countries and winners of the qualifying rounds will also perform.

Russian intelligence services are the main threat to Latvia. Experts have given advice on how to identify Russian spies, paying attention to their appearance and behavior.

The Portuguese government is urged not to allow the "Georgian Dream" party to participate in the OSCE PA session due to the oppression of democracy. Prime Minister Kobakhidze called the appeal a "Soviet approach".

EU countries are considering redirecting €400 billion from regional aid funds to the defense industry. The funds will go to bomb shelters, military-civilian technologies and military infrastructure.

Serbian President Vucic visited Moscow on the eve of the May 9 parade, despite warnings about the risks to Serbia's accession to the EU. Vucic said he is ready to take personal responsibility for this visit.

Latvia and Lithuania did not allow Slovak Prime Minister Fico to fly to Moscow, as did Estonia. The reason is participation in the Kremlin's propaganda event on May 9, which is incompatible with EU values.

lavrov criticized EU countries for obstructing visits by European leaders to moscow on May 9. He also accused the EU of double standards regarding Ukraine and Serbia.

Lithuania and Latvia did not allow the plane of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to fly through their airspace. He was planning to visit Russia on May 9.

Only 14 EU countries have formally requested increased defense spending, casting doubt on the European Commission's €800 billion ReArm Europe plan due to limited budgetary capacity.

Georgia dropped 11 positions in the press freedom ranking due to the hostile environment for the media and attacks on journalists. Ukraine took 62nd place, and Russia – 171st, dropping by 9 lines.

Against the backdrop of Russian aggression against Ukraine, 16 countries in the EU have initiated a request to activate the "exception clause". This should facilitate the transition to higher defense spending at the national level.

National Security Advisor Waltz stated that the US can no longer subsidize European security due to the large debt. Aid to Ukraine should be provided under the leadership of Europe.

The Cabinet approved an agreement with Latvia on mutual recognition and exchange of national driver's licenses. A similar agreement has been in effect with Lithuania since October 2023.

The government has received proposals from partners regarding experts for the selection of members of the Accounting Chamber. The group will include specialists from Latvia, France and Great Britain who have significant experience in auditing.

Latvian companies will supply 12,000 drones within the framework of the Drone Coalition. Support for the coalition to Ukraine in 2024 amounted to EUR 1.8 billion.

Entrance exams to the Master's program EVI and EFVV can be taken abroad. Registration will last from May 2 to May 23, additional period - June 16-17.

London condemned the Russian Federation's attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, which resulted in civilian casualties. It was emphasized that this happened during peace negotiations in London.

European diplomats condemned Russia's massive strike on Kyiv, which resulted in deaths. They expressed support for Ukraine and called for increased resistance to the aggressor.

Latvia has officially withdrawn from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits anti-personnel mines, due to the changing security situation and Russian aggression. The authorities assure that they will adhere to the norms of humanitarian law.

In Kyiv, a fraudster swindled a pensioner out of 320,000 hryvnias, posing as an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine and claiming that he was checking her money for affiliation with Russian special services. The woman was promised that the funds would be returned after "legalization."

According to the survey, the number of Latvian residents who donated to the needs of Ukraine or refugees has decreased. At the same time, the proportion of those who did not support Ukraine increased.

The criminal group operated under the guise of cryptocurrency investments through fake brokerage platforms. The organizer and three perpetrators have been notified of suspicion and face up to 12 years in prison.

The Ministry of Defense received a batch of equipment from the IT coalition, funded by Luxembourg and Iceland, worth almost 2 million euros. The delivery included access points, routers, charging stations and telephones.

EU leaders have warned Serbian President Vucic that his visit to the May 9 parade in Moscow could harm Serbia's accession to the European Union.

Kaja Kallas called on EU candidate countries not to participate in the May 9 events in Moscow. She also called on EU leaders to visit Ukraine more often for support.

The European Union called on candidate countries for EU membership to refrain from participating in the May 9 events in Russia. Support for Ukraine remains a key priority for the European Union.

The Ukrainian national futsal team defeated Cyprus (11:1) and qualified for Euro 2026, as Romania lost to Germany. The European Championship will be held in Latvia and Lithuania from January 20 to February 7, 2026.

Since 2010, the largest increase in house prices has occurred in Hungary (+234%) and Estonia (+228%).

Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the US ambassador for the weak reaction to the Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih. He thanked other countries for their support and called for increased sanctions.

The US is demanding that the EU continue to purchase American weapons. This comes amid Europe's desire to develop its own defense industry, limiting the role of companies from the US and Britain.