On Wednesday, September 3, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa took part in the meeting of the leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries (NB8), held in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Together with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the NB8 leaders reaffirmed united and unwavering support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s war of aggression.
“As some of Ukraine’s strongest supporters and partners, today we held discussions to prepare for the Coalition of the Willing meeting and a possible conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. It is important for us to remain united and consistently support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Europe’s security. We discussed the next steps to ensure a just and lasting peace,” said E. Siliņa.
The Prime Minister stressed that it is now important both to continue strengthening Ukraine’s armed forces and defense industry, while at the same time investing in the development of our own defense capabilities and industry.
“Latvia has always been among the most active supporters of Ukraine. At this moment, we cannot afford to delay. Weapons deliveries must be swift, sanctions must be strict, and support must be clear and unequivocal. Our security is closely tied to Ukraine’s ability to win this war,” the Prime Minister said.
At the conclusion of the meeting, NB8 leaders published a joint statement emphasizing their commitment to strengthen military assistance to Ukraine, including accelerating the delivery of weapons, ammunition, and air defense systems. They expressed support for the new PURL initiative, which provides funding for priority U.S. weapons for Ukraine’s needs.
In their joint statement, NB8 leaders also pledged to develop lasting security guarantees for Ukraine in close cooperation with the U.S., Europe, and other partners. The leaders stressed the need to tighten sanctions against Russia and prevent their circumvention through third countries. Meeting participants also agreed that joint and purposeful action by Europe and the U.S. is essential to halt Russia’s war economy.
This was the first in-person NB8 leaders’ meeting held during Denmark’s presidency of this cooperation format.
The NB8 leaders’ statement is available here.