We need to take it seriously: Latvia’s President on potential Russian Baltics attack | On the Record

“Putin is not ready,” says Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, assessing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open letter to the Russian dictator. The Latvian President went On the Record with Adam Jasser, arguing that Russia remains dangerous despite its setbacks and warning that NATO must prepare for all scenarios, adding that Moscow has made a strategic mistake by rejecting American efforts to broker a peace agreement.

Rinkēvičs cautions against speculation about Russia attacking Baltic states but insists that the Kremlin’s threats should be taken seriously. “Russia is cornered, Russia is dangerous,” he says, adding that the best way to prevent conflict is through stronger deterrence, higher defense spending, and faster military preparedness across the Alliance. The Latvian President also rejects the notion that the Baltic states stand alone. Any attack on Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania, he argues, would be “an attack against NATO and Europe” as a whole.

Discussing transatlantic relations, he stresses that the United States remains indispensable to European security while calling on European allies to take greater responsibility for their own defense, hoping the upcoming Ankara summit will help to sort out all disagreements within NATO.

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:37 - Are chances for peace in Ukraine increasing?
01:05 - Russian threats toward the Baltic states
02:46 - Gaps in NATO’s defense capabilities
05:52 - Is Russia cornered?
07:59 - U.S. troop rotations in Europe
08:46 - Regional cooperation key for NATO
12:56 - What about nuclear deterrence?
15:43 - Zelenskyy proposes talks with Putin
18:33 - The role of the U.S. and Europe in peace talks

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