Latvia

The European Commission is preparing to impose tariffs on grain products from Belarus and Russia to prevent Russian grain from destabilizing the European market, stop Russia from profiting from exports to the EU, and ensure that illegally exported stolen Ukrainian grain does not enter the EU market.

Five European countries-Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic - have called on the European Commission to ban grain imports from Russia and Belarus to prevent Russia from financing the war against Ukraine.

Australia joins the United Kingdom and Latvia in providing drones as part of a "drone coalition" to support Ukraine's military efforts.

The Estonian parliament has approved the termination of the legal assistance agreement with Russia in the spring of 2025.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, believes that Europe should create its own version of the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system.

Ukrainian badminton players Oleksii Titov and Yevheniia Kantemir won a silver medal in the mixed doubles at the FZ FORZA Dutch International 2024.

Ukrainian law enforcement officers, in cooperation with Latvian authorities, dismantled an international scheme to extort money from investors in electronic exchanges, arresting three key organizers and seizing evidence.

Ukraine's judo team won 11 awards, including 1 gold, 2 silver and 8 bronze, taking 4th place at the European Cup in Riga, Latvia.

Latvian Prime Minister Ewika Silina supports the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine to train the Ukrainian Armed Forces, provided that a consensus is reached among alliance partners.

Latvia may deport 800 Russians who have not applied for permanent or temporary residence and have not passed the Latvian language test.

Ukraine has started negotiations with Latvia on a bilateral security agreement, defining its content, key elements and thematic blocks.

More than two dozen heads of parliamentary foreign affairs committees, including the United States and Israel, signed a statement denying the legitimacy of the elections held by Russia in the occupied Ukrainian territories.

The Czech Republic secured an opportunity to purchase an additional 200,000 units of artillery ammunition for Ukraine from third countries.

Russia has banned 347 high-ranking officials from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, including prime ministers and foreign ministers, from entering the country because of their "hostile policy" of lobbying for sanctions, interfering in Russia's internal affairs and demolishing Soviet monuments.

President Zelenskyy criticized the Pope's proposal for Ukraine's negotiations with Russia, saying that the Church should be with people who are defending their lives, not engaged in "virtual mediation" from afar.

NATO nations are rotating air defense systems, including Patriot systems, to Lithuania to strengthen Europe's defense capabilities in the Baltic region in response to concerns about russian aggression.

Latvian President Edgards Rinkēvičs criticized Pope Francis' statement inviting Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, saying that "one cannot capitulate in the face of evil.

In Latvia, a repairman was arrested for illegally tuning banned Russian TV channels for at least 180 local residents and faces up to 3 years in prison or a fine for illegal entrepreneurship.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on allies to urgently increase and accelerate military aid to Ukraine, saying that the strategy of helping Ukraine "one drop at a time" no longer works to defeat Russia and prevent the spread of war in Europe.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will visit Lithuania to discuss with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and France a rapid increase in military aid to Ukraine.

Western allies, including Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, and France, have expressed support for the Czech Republic's initiative to purchase hundreds of thousands of artillery shells for Ukraine from non-EU countries, with almost all of the necessary funding already secured.

Latvia has approved a list banning imports of agricultural and feed products from Russia and Belarus until July 2025, becoming the first EU country to restrict such imports.

The Latvian government has approved a €303 million plan to strengthen fortifications along its eastern border with russia and belarus as part of a joint Baltic defense line.

Over the next nine months, the German Air Force will take control of patrolling NATO airspace over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from an air base in Latvia.

The President of Latvia commented on Elon Musk's words about the dissolution of NATO, saying that NATO exists to protect the free world from enemies such as Russia.

Starting March 11, cars with Russian license plates will be confiscated in Lithuania. The exception will be their transit to and from the Kaliningrad region. Such cars can stay in the country for no more than 24 hours with the mandatory presence of the owner

The Latvian government has imposed an embargo on Russian products, and the Polish Prime Minister said that Poland is considering doing the same in response to uncontrolled supplies from Russia and Belarus that are destabilizing European markets.

The Prosecutor General of Ukraine expressed confidence that an international tribunal to prosecute the Russian leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine would be established, and that the prosecutor's office was already collecting evidence for this case.

Latvia has banned imports of Russian grain at the legislative level and called for similar sanctions from the EU, as Ukrainian grain could replace Russian imports.

This year's Crimean Platform Parliamentary Summit will be held in Latvia, said Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.