Latvia Reveals New Military Aid Package in Ukraine’s Defense

Latvia has announced a new package of military assistance for the needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

This was stated by President Edgars Rinkēvičs at a joint press conference with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We have to shift the strategic focus. We have said for a very long time that we support Ukraine, and we will support as much as necessary. But the main goal and the main political signal should be that we support and will support Ukraine until its complete victory over Russian imperialism,” Rinkēvičs said.

It is reported that the aid package will include howitzers, ammunition, helicopters, drones, communication devices, equipment and anti-tank weapons.

The Latvian president added that Latvia took over the leadership of the “Coalition of Drones” within the framework of Ramstein.

Previously, on December 18, Militarnyi reported that the amount of training of the Ukrainian military with the participation of Latvia in 2023 increased more than four times.

Latvia trains Ukrainians in the following areas: basic combined arms training, training of the leader “officer – sergeant,” sapper, shooter, and others.

During bilateral negotiations, the head of the Department of Doctrines and Individual Training of the Main Directorate of Doctrines and Training of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Mykola Huben, said that since July 2022, with the assistance of the Latvian side, almost 350 Ukrainian troops have been trained in several areas.

In 2024, with the participation of Latvia, it is proposed to train approximately 96 Ukrainian branch commanders and 360 combat medics.

It was also reported that next year Sweden will send troops to Latvia as part of the Canadian-led forces to deter Russia from attacking.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson made this statement against the background that his country is not yet a full member of NATO.

Kristersson said he would “not waste time waiting for the final ratification” of his country’s NATO membership and warned that Russia was “trying to destabilize the whole of Europe” with threats, disinformation, and cyber attacks.