Latvia may provide new batch of Stingers to Ukraine
Latvia may provide Ukraine with a new batch of Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems at the next Ramstein format meeting and offer training to the Ukrainian military.
Source: Ināra Mūrniece, the Minister of Defence of the country, commenting on Latvia's future military aid to Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda with reference to Latvia’s Public Broadcasting Service.
Mūrniece said that "the list of military support from Latvia is already in the pocket."
"In fact, the Ukrainian front is our line of defence, so we are now thinking about how to join the large flow of aid to Ukraine and how to support Ukraine, and how to respond to the request of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy," the minister said.
Mūrniece said that Latvia is considering the possibility of sending weapons to Ukraine and training the Ukrainian military. Taking into account the help that Latvia has previously provided to Ukraine, Latvia could once again offer Ukraine the Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems.
"When meeting with our Ukrainian colleagues, they express the greatest gratitude to Latvia for those Stingers that came as military support, and this was a very pertinent decision by the Ministry of Defence, as well as the former minister. We will continue [helping - ed.] with the Stingers, and we will continue even more intensive training of the Ukrainian military in Latvia," said Mūrniece.
The minister also believes that Ukraine highly values UAVs and drones, so Latvia could also continue supplying them.
The next and eighth meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, or the Ramstein format, will take place on 20 January 2023.
Background: The Ramstein format, which brings together more than 50 countries of the world, was launched with the aim of providing collective support for Ukraine to meet the defence needs of the Ukrainian army in the face of a full-scale Russian invasion.
The last meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group took place at the end of November 2022.
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