Latvia does not rule out hosting nuclear weapons on its territory if NATO collectively decides to take such a step and the need arises, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said.
According to Rinkēvičs, Latvian law contains no legal restrictions that would prevent the deployment of nuclear weapons. He noted that during Latvia’s preparations to join NATO, the country agreed to participate fully in the Alliance’s collective defense framework, including nuclear deterrence.
“If such a need arises and NATO makes such a collective decision, nuclear weapons will be deployed in Latvia,” Rinkēvičs said.
At the same time, the president stressed that there are currently no specific negotiations on actually deploying nuclear weapons in Latvia.
His remarks come amid discussions about strengthening nuclear deterrence in Europe. The United Kingdom, in particular, has proposed providing additional nuclear protection for members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which includes the Baltic states, Nordic countries and the Netherlands.
Rinkēvičs also emphasized the role of nuclear deterrence in European security. In his view, without nuclear weapons, the risk of large-scale conventional wars in Europe would be higher.
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