Latvia’s Frontline Perspective on Europe’s Eastern Flank: A Conversation with President Zatlers
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has forever changed Europe. In no place has this change been more acutely felt that in the three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Latvia has regularly been a top contributor of aid to Ukraine relative to GDP and has received a large share of refugees relative to its overall population. It spends 2.4% of its GDP towards defense, with plans to reach 3% by 2027, and recently introduced mandatory military service. As a frontline state, Latvia offers a unique perspective on Russia’s war in Ukraine and has warned of Russian aggression for decades.
Join us for a unique and timely conversation with Latvia’s former President, Valdis Zatlers, for his perspective on how Latvia has adapted to meet Europe’s increasingly uncertain security environment.
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Global Europe Program
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe’s capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe’s relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include “Ukraine in Europe”—an examination of what it will take to make Ukraine’s European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe’s energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program’s staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more