Russia’s ambitions to survive Putin – Latvian MFA

The top diplomat spoke in an interview with The Telegraph.

 “From NATO’s point of view, we will have to deal with a problematic Russia, a dangerous Russia for a long time to come,” the minister warned. “Even after the end of this war - and all wars end eventually - we will still have a problem in Russia which will not be related directly to the rule of Putin.”

In his view, the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny in an Arctic penal colony last month and the fictitious presidential election this weekend only underline this stark fact.

“We see no indications that there’s any movement within Russia which would produce a leader espousing enlightenment, liberal ideas. This is not in the foreseeable future at all,” Kariņš said.

According to the minister, the constant threat from the East requires NATO a strong and transparent containment policy.

Kariņš, who has previously expressed interest in becoming the next NATO Secretary General, added that, if Moscow “clearly see what we have, what we’re capable of, and how we’re willing to put it to use,” Russia’s imperialistic ambitions “would simply no longer have the opportunity to turn to the West.”

“There is no notion that the Baltics could be next”, he said. But “if Russia were to invade a Baltic country, Russia would be invading NATO.”

The Alliance, he said, will protect NATO territory "from the first square centimeter". The minister believes the United States will remain engaged in NATO regardless of the election results this November.

Also, the head of the Foreign Ministry of Latvia rejected any voices calling Ukraine to sit at the negotiation table with Russia.

“Russia has proven that it uses peace to rearm in order to attack,” he says.

As reported earlier, Latvia’s Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš expressed his willingness to join the list of applicants for the post of NATO Secretary General as Jens Stoltenberg is set to step down later this year.