Toms Rostoks, director of the Center for Security and Strategic Research at the National Defense Academy of Latvia, said on Latvian Television's "Morning Panorama" newscast that Ukraine needs help, wants to join NATO and the EU, needs military assistance, and more, and part of the goal of the visit is to find out what the Baltic States can do for Ukraine in the future. Estonia and Lithuania have already announced their aid package, and Latvia will certainly do the same, Rostoks said.
Latvian Foreign Policy Institute researcher Elīna Vrobļevska told Latvian Radio that Zelenskyy's visit to the Baltic States is a diplomatic and political “thank you” for the Baltic support because although the Baltic assistance is only a small part of all the support received by Ukraine, it is a significant contribution in comparison to the scale of the countries. Zelenskyy will try to find out what political, possibly military and humanitarian support Ukraine can receive, Vrobļevska predicted.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Latvian-Ukrainian Parliamentary Cooperation Group Jānis Skrastiņš (New Unity) told LTV's “Morning Panorama” that the time of this visit is appropriate, because currently, like never before, Ukraine needs support in various bodies in the European Parliament, Europe, NATO, because it has taken the path toward the EU, and Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are the first to support it.
Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rihards Kols (National Alliance) said on LTV's “Morning Panorama” that Zelenskyy certainly appreciates Latvia's help and also how Latvia fights for support for Ukraine in various international organizations.
Kols also expressed confidence that Latvia will continue to provide support to Ukraine as far as possible, and during the visit it is necessary to agree on how we can help in the negotiations on accession to the EU.
Kols expects Zelenskyy to discuss a painful issue – Russian grain imports into Latvia, “I think he will ask this question”, on which Latvian politicians have different opinions.
Meanwhile, Ilgvars Kļava, Latvian ambassador to Ukraine, said he will discuss many future plans during the visit and Zelenskyy's messages will certainly include thanks to Latvia and the Latvian people for their support shown to Ukraine so far. He also added that Latvia's name is in a very positive context in Ukraine because one of the proportionally largest contributions of aid comes from Latvia.
The Ukrainian President arrived in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Wednesday, and traveled further to Estonia. During his visit to Vilnius, he expressed his gratitude to the Baltic nations, which support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
LSM will provide news and livestreams of Zelenskyy's visit:
- 15:40 Latvian time – Zelenskyy's welcome at the Rīga International Airport;
- 16:10 – a ceremony by the Rīga Castle;
- 17:25 – Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's press conference;
- 20:30 – a special LTV feature.
