Latvian President Edgars RinkÄ“viÄs believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is obsessed with the idea of restoring the Russian Empire. This information was reported by Delfi.
The Latvian leader noted that Russian propaganda indicates Putin's dream of restoring the Russian Empire as it was in the 19th to early 20th centuries. He believes that Latvia should be prepared for hybrid warfare. For example, Belarus uses migration as hybrid warfare against Latvia, Poland, and Lithuania, and there is also a constant confrontation with disinformation.
The President also reminded that Canada leads the enhanced Forward Presence battle group in Latvia, which is planned to be increased to the brigade level. It includes soldiers from allied countries, including Poland.
"We see attempts to use new technologies, such as artificial intelligence. This is the first cyberwar. I can agree with people who have talked a lot about our first line of defense being Ukraine. We would rather thank the Ukrainians who are fighting than, perhaps, they would have to thank us," said RinkÄ“viÄs.
According to RinkÄ“viÄs, it is important to increase state spending on defense — by 2027, it will be 3% of GDP in Latvia. However, in addition to military preparations, we must be ready for various provocations and hybrid warfare.
