Latvia has signed a defense cooperation and drone technology-sharing agreement with Ukraine, with Ukrainian drone experts set to arrive next week to help strengthen air defense capabilities. The announcement follows recent drone incidents on Latvian territory and has sparked tourism concerns in eastern regions.
Latvia is a Baltic state in northern Europe, bordering Russia and Belarus to the east while anchored firmly in Western institutions as a member of the European Union, NATO, and the eurozone. It operates as a parliamentary republic, with President Edgars Rinkēvičs as head of state and Prime Minister Evika Siliņa leading a government built around the centre-right New Unity party. Its proximity to Russia and a large Russian-speaking minority—roughly a quarter of the population—make security and questions of social cohesion enduring fault lines, sharpened since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Relations with Moscow are tense, and Riga aligns closely with its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Lithuania on regional defence and energy policy.