Today at 21:51
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Latvia’s Defense Minister Raivis Melnis, who is visiting Ukraine on his first foreign trip since taking office, UATV English reports, citing the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy thanked Latvia for its consistent support since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“We are pleased to have the Drone Deal and other forms of cooperation between our countries, where we can share our experience with our close allies,” the Ukrainian president said.
Melnis emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s experience in countering modern aerial threats.
“We have supported Ukraine with training and expertise from the very beginning. Now we are asking Ukraine to support us, because there is only one country in the world that knows how to fight Russia and how to stop Russia,” he said.
The two sides also discussed cooperation with partners within the framework of the European Union, NATO, and Joint Expeditionary Force.
Particular attention was paid to Latvia’s potential participation in the SAFE program, which is designed to finance joint weapons production projects with Ukraine.
Zelenskyy additionally thanked Latvia for advocating Ukraine’s membership aspirations in both the EU and NATO. According to the president, Ukraine expects the first accession negotiation cluster, “Fundamentals,” to be opened as soon as possible.
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