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Latvian President: Only the West’s Weakness Can Provoke Russia

Egils Levits talks about military aid for Ukraine, a special tribunal for Russian war crimes, and how to respond to nuclear blackmail.

By , a Berlin-based entrepreneurial multimedia journalist.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with Latvian President Egils Levits.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with Latvian President Egils Levits.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with Latvian President Egils Levits after their joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 9. Alexey Furman/Getty Images

Having spent almost 1 percent of its GDP in aid to Ukraine, proportionally more than any other country, the Baltic nation of Latvia has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters. Latvian President Egils Levits—who, in April, was one of the first Western leaders to visit Ukraine after the Russian invasion and meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—has been vocal in support of Ukraine’s European Union candidate status and the need to stop Russian political and economic influence in Europe. 

Benjamin Bathke is a Berlin-based entrepreneurial multimedia journalist. He has worked in online and radio journalism for the past six years and is currently covering migration, media innovation, and technology for a variety of international publications.
Twitter: @BenjaminBathke

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