Summary of the NPR Interview with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže:
This NPR interview with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba braže focuses on NATO, Russia, Ukraine, and President TrumpS role in the current geopolitical landscape. here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways:
On NATO:
NATO is not a “rip-off”: Braže strongly agrees with President Trump’s recent positive comments about NATO, emphasizing its importance as a collective defense alliance.
Increased Defense Spending: She supports the commitment to raise defense spending to 5%, including infrastructure, as crucial for confronting potential Russian aggression.
Broad Threat from Russia: Latvia, and all countries, are already facing Russian “sub-conventional attacks” like cyber warfare, sabotage, and targeted killings. Intelligence sharing and situational awareness are vital.
On Russia & Ukraine:
Support for Trump’s Peace Efforts (with a caveat): Braže supports President Trump’s efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine, but stresses that Russia currently shows no genuine interest in peace. “To get to peace, we will have to push Russia to peace.”
Russia is Pro-War: There are no indicators that Russia is shifting towards a peaceful stance, across military, political, economic, or other sectors. Ukraine is winning: Despite facing a much larger adversary, Ukraine is successfully resisting Russian aggression and has not allowed Russia to achieve its strategic objectives.Ukraine is “standing strong as a democracy” and
