France may bring Latvia into its nuclear deterrence initiative
Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron (Vitalii Nosach - RBC-Ukraine)
French President Emmanuel Macron has agreed to begin negotiations with his country regarding Latvia's accession to the French nuclear deterrence initiative. France has also committed to strengthening its presence in Latvia, according to Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.
"I have been in active contact with the French President about closer cooperation between Latvia and France in the field of security and defense. President Macron has agreed to start negotiations with Latvia on our country's accession to the French nuclear deterrence initiative," the Latvian Prime Minister says in a statement.
He also adds that Macron expressed his commitment to strengthening France's military presence in Latvia, particularly in the area of air defense.
This step came after Riga agreed to abstain from voting on an agreement among the 27 EU member states to remove two Russian oligarchs, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from the sanctions list.
Russia's threat to Latvia
Latvia is one of the Baltic states where Russia engages in provocations from time to time, including drone flights near the border and, on occasion, Russian drones crossing it.
Recently, Latvia and Poland scrambled NATO aircraft in response to the threat posed by Russian drones.
