The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson is on a joint visit to Los Angeles, USA, with his Latvian and Lithuanian colleagues to talk about the impact of Russia’s war of aggression and to stress the importance of further support to Ukraine.
On Friday, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima Rihards Kols will meet with Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles Erin Bromaghim, visit the University of Southern California, and take part in two panel discussions to talk about the price of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and its wider impact on the global security situation.
Wrapping up in Washington, D.C., next stop in LA to reunite with the #BalticMusketeers for events hosted & organised by @BalticFreedom. On my way to the airport, passed by the @franceintheus residence and was greeted by this - Lady Liberty draped with Ukraine’s flag. Incredibly… pic.twitter.com/072xFVFK5z
— Rihards Kols (@RihardsKols) April 17, 2024
On Saturday, the two will be joined by their Lithuanian colleague Žygimantas Pavilionis. Over two days, the schedule of the visit includes several meetings with members of the U.S. Congress to urge the Congress to adopt the Ukraine aid package which has been gridlocked for weeks amid domestic political infighting.
The trio will also meet the Ukrainian community in Los Angeles and speak at the Baltic American Freedom League Awards Banquet. Next Wednesday and Thursday, the Baltic Chairmen will meet again in Berlin, Germany.
In a parallel move, the Speakers of the Baltic parliaments have sent a joint letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, in which they underline that the threat of Russia continues and that U.S. aid to Ukraine is indispensable.
President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar, Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia Daiga Mieriņa and Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen thanked Johnson for his personal leadership in setting the path for the Congress to demonstrate historic bipartisan unity in support of the collective efforts to assist Ukraine.
“Europe is taking historic steps to strengthen its defence capabilities, but this inevitably takes time – time that Ukraine does not have. That is why US aid is indispensable at this crucial juncture before Europe’s ability to defend itself has come into its own and we do even more to help Ukraine,” they said.
The Speakers expressed hope that the Congress would make the right decision and approve the assistance package to Ukraine that it so urgently needed, for the sake of standing up to tyrants and aggressors and for the sake of our collective security.
“Supporting Ukraine is an investment in our collective secure future. As you yourself put it, there are moments in time when we simply have to do the right thing, even if it is difficult,” they pointed out in the letter sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Speakers pointed out that their countries were committed to further increasing their support to Ukraine and its defence forces, seeing it as a considerable investment in our individual and collective security. “The axis of evil must be defeated, and all perpetrators brought to justice. This will serve as a significant deterrent to further conflicts and will return a sense of control and security to our peoples,” they said.
You can read the text of the joint letter online in English, or in the attachment to this story.
