THE AMERICA ONE NEWS
Jun 4, 2025  |  
0
 | Remer,MN
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge.
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge and Reasoning Support for Fantasy Sports and Betting Enthusiasts.
back  
topic
Euromaidanpress
Euromaidan Press
11 Apr 2025
Yuri Zoria


Latvian defense minister: Europe “can do a lot” with its 2 million soldiers for Ukraine peacekeeping

Latvia is ready to contribute forces while emphasizing the importance of not weakening its own defenses against Russia.
Latvian-Defense-Minister-
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds. Credit: Vitalii Nosach RBC-Ukraine
Latvian defense minister: Europe “can do a lot” with its 2 million soldiers for Ukraine peacekeeping

Latvia’s Defense Minister Andris Sprūds stated that Europe has approximately two million soldiers, emphasizing “we can do a lot” regarding potential peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine.

The first meeting of European defense ministers from 30 countries in the format of a “coalition of the willing” took place at NATO headquarters in Brussels on 10 April to ensure long-term peace in Ukraine, an initiative launched in February by France and the UK. This comes as US President Donald Trump pushes for Kyiv-Moscow peace talks, allegedly to end the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to RFE/RL, Sprūds said:

“There are countries that are now also discussing, considering at the national level, what they can do. Of course, engagement is extremely important. We must remember that in Europe there are about 2 million soldiers, that is, 2 million in uniform. So in reality, we can do a lot.”

However, the Minister noted that the peacekeeping efforts are unfolding against a backdrop of uncertainty.

Another question is how effective we are, how capable of forming mobile forces. And again, this is a broader context. What is a peace agreement or ceasefire framework? So there are several puzzle pieces that we need to put together,” Sprūds said.

Only 6 of 30 “coalition of willing” countries ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine

The Latvian minister noted that “reassurance forces” are being discussed as part of these considerations.

“And Latvia, we believe, potentially also, of course, will make its contribution, but again, this is specifically related to a peace agreement or ceasefire parameters,” Sprūds noted.

According to Sprūds, Latvia and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank must also ensure regional defense against potential aggressor states—implicitly referring to Russia.

Therefore, of course, by providing military personnel or representatives or contributions to ‘reassurance forces’ in Ukraine, we must not weaken our own defense while being on the border with an aggressor country. And we take this very seriously,” he emphasized.