Ukraine will have defended Europe from the Russian aggression and should be honored, said Kalniete. On the other hand, the monument at Uzvaras Park in Riga, according to Kalniete, should be dismantled soon, as the majority of the Latvian society supports it. In the context of Russian aggression in Ukraine it 'rips open old scars' of the Latvian history regarding the abuse in the Second World War and afterward.
Therefore, the decision of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Commission to suspend the agreement between Latvia and Russia on the maintenance of memorial structures is welcome, said Kalniete. The decision still needs the majority support of the Saeima.
She said that, following the crimes committed by Russian troops in Bucha and Kherson, Western countries are more cohesive in imposing sanctions against Russia.
Kalniete said that "it is very important that people in the rest of the free world do not forget that there is a war in Ukraine, so there must be symbols to remind people about it all the time".
Kalniete noted that whenever there is a disappointment about rising prices for energy resources or other goods or services, it should be remembered that we are alive without hiding in basements and not fleeing home, as it happened during World War II, and as it is now happening in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression.
