China’s Special Representative on European Affairs, Wu Hongbo, has paid a visit to Latvia, LETA reports. Wu met with Dace Melbarde, parliamentary secretary of Latvia’s Foreign Ministry, and Katarina Platere, head of the ministry’s bilateral relations directorate. The officials discussed bilateral dialogue, cooperation in specific sectors and international organisations, and regional security. The Foreign Ministry…
US technology company Google has removed the official accounts of EU-sanctioned Russian performers, following a request from the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK), BNS reports. LRTK asked Google to remove the YouTube accounts of several Russian artists who have been placed under EU sanctions for actively supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Lithuania’s ministries of defence and finance are developing a mobile application to enable public donations for national defence, aiming for a summer rollout, BNS reports. Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste said that the app would allow for both periodic and one-off payments, similar to NGOs helping Ukraine. Earlier, the government rejected a proposal on voluntary donations…
Latvia’s Ministry of Defence will send over 2,500 combat drones of various types and capabilities to Ukraine, LSM reports. The drones, worth EUR 4mn, were manufactured by seven Latvian companies. The delivery is part of the international drone coalition formed to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU). Latvia’s Ministry of Defence has allocated EUR…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow undermines confidence in Hungary’s EU presidency, BNS reports. Nauseda said that Orban’s “unilateral decision” to visit Moscow does not represent the EU position. “If you truly seek peace, you do not shake hands with a bloody…
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has met with a visiting delegation from the Appropriations Committee of the US House of Representatives, LSM reports. The delegation was led by Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma and included congressmen Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, and Jake Ellzey of Texas. The…
Lithuania will acquire Polish-made Piorun air defence systems, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas announced, BNS reports. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz proposed that Lithuania procure the new systems jointly with Poland. Kasciunas said that Lithuania was “very pleased” with the offer. Lithuania already has an older version of the Polish-made Grom air defence system but will…
The Lithuanian government has approved a draft resolution to withdraw from the Convention on Cluster Munitions, allowing to acquire, stockpile, and use these weapons, BNS reports. The proposal from the Defence Ministry follows the US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine and is based on the argument that these munitions are highly effective for…
EU leaders have appointed Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the next High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, BNS reports. Kallas expressed her commitment to enhancing EU unity and addressing geopolitical challenges such as the war in Ukraine. She aims to strengthen the EU’s global partnerships and work closely with…