Nearly €1 billion in support and new commitments: how Latvia is expanding its aid to Ukraine
5 January 21:58
Since the start of the full-scale war, Latvia has provided Ukraine with nearly €1 billion in practical assistance. This is stated in the annual report by Foreign Minister Baiba Braže on the results of her work and foreign policy priorities for 2026, according to Delfi , as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
Riga has summarized its support for Ukraine since 2022, recording aid totaling nearly €1 billion, and confirmed its intention to maintain a high level of engagement going forward.
For a Baltic country of modest economic scale, this level of aid is significant. Latvia not only declares political support for Kyiv but also ties it to specific financial commitments—as a percentage of its own GDP.
What assistance does Latvia provide?
Under the agreement on long-term support and security commitments signed in April 2024, Latvia:
- allocate 0.25% of its GDP to military support for Ukraine;
- provides €15 million in reconstruction aid for the period 2024–2026.
In 2025, military aid included purchases from the Latvian defense industry, participation in international coalitions supporting Ukraine—particularly the drone coalition—as well as training for Ukrainian military personnel.
Role in NATO and the EU
Last year, Latvia joined NATO’s PURL initiative, allocating €7.2 million; it joined the NATO mission to promote security and training in Ukraine, as well as the Renovator initiative to modernize the military medical and rehabilitation system.
At the same time, Riga was actively engaged on the European front—participating in negotiations regarding EU support for Ukraine for 2026–2027 and lobbying for the use of frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia.
The report emphasizes that Latvia consistently defends Ukraine’s right to self-defense in international organizations and calls for increased political, military, economic, and diplomatic pressure on Russia and the countries supporting its aggression.
Latvia plans to maintain its leading position among Ukraine’s European allies and calls on other EU countries to increase their aid contributions to at least 0.25% of GDP, transforming support for Ukraine into long-term and systematic commitments.
