Latvian president: West should continue supporting both Ukraine and Israel
Photo: President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs (Getty Images)
It is crucial for the West to support both Ukraine and Israel, whereas the Russian Federation is preparing for a prolonged war against Ukrainians, says Latvian president Edgars Rinkēvičs.
According to him, the victory of Ukraine will help safeguard peace in Europe. Rinkēvičs emphasized the importance of the world continuing to support Ukraine and fighting for peace in Europe to prevent Russia from posing a threat to other countries in the future.
According to the Latvian president, it is crucial for the West to support both Ukraine and Israel. He highlighted the need to achieve humanitarian pauses in the fighting in Gaza to provide assistance to the Palestinian civilian population. He also stated that Iran would be "very pleased to see this kind of development in the Middle East."
"I do believe also that it will be much easier for us to keep peace in Europe if Ukraine succeeds rather than we let Ukraine down, or for that matter, also to let the situation in the Middle East to get out of control," he added.
Rinkēvičs stressed that the West is obligated to respond to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call and provide more arms to Ukraine, as they have not provided as much as they should have.
He noted that Russia is currently mobilizing its economy, resources, and military equipment for a long war to try to "strangle" Ukraine. He predicts renewed terrorist attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the coming months.
EU and NATO should prepare for a prolonged war
"The EU has realized that we need more defense and military. And at this point, I would love to see that this is going to be a bit faster process. But still, those things are now finally moving," explained the Latvian president, adding that many countries still need to reach the goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense.
According to the president, if the world sees that Europe and the U.S. cannot support Ukraine, it will also increase pressure on Israel.
"Also, I think that Iran is going to be more assertive. Let’s also not forget about the whole Asia region, and let’s not forget about Taiwan," said Rinkēvičs.
As noted by the Latvian president, Russia is transforming from an autocracy into a totalitarian regime, engaging in propaganda worse than during the Cold War.
He reminded that Russians display videos or animated clips depicting the destruction of cities in Europe or the U.S. with nuclear weapons, claiming that the use of nuclear weapons is "just a piece of cake." According to Rinkēvičs, they are calling Ukrainians “kind of a lower human race - it’s very much resembling what Nazi Germany was saying about the Jews.”
