Baiba Braže visits Ukraine on her first trip abroad

On 26 April 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, arrived in Ukraine on her first visit abroad, thus reasserting the priority role of Ukraine in Latvia’s security and foreign policy and unwavering support from Latvia to Ukraine in its freedom fight against Russia’s war of aggression.

Baiba Braže met with the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba. The Foreign Ministers discussed issues of current importance in bilateral cooperation, security and economic cooperation. Foreign Minister Braže confirmed that Latvia will continue to advocate EU sanctions on Russia and stand up for other concrete action in order to reduce the Russian Federation’s resources to continue the war.

Together with the Ukrainian Foreeign Minister, Baiba Braže laid flowers at the Wall of the Remembrance to honour the Ukrainian soldiers fallen in the war of aggression waged by Russia.

In a conversation with the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Latvian Foreign Minister reaffirmed that Latvia would continue to support Ukraine’s reconstruction, with a particular focus on the Chernihiv region recently hit by Russian missile strikes. She confirmed the intention of the Latvian Saeima to convene a summit on the parliamentary dimension of the Crimean Platform in Riga as early as this coming autumn. Gratitude was also expressed for Latvia’s active support for the return of the deported Ukrainian children.

The Foreign Minister discussed with the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal the practical steps for further Euro-Atlantic integration and Latvia’s support, as well as the meeting of the Latvian-Ukrainian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, industrial, Scientific and Technical Cooperation scheduled for May.

In a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s integration into the European Union was discussed and views were exchanged on Ukraine’s closer cooperation with NATO that would allow Ukraine to become a member of the alliance as soon as it is possible.

As part of her visit, the Foreign Minister also met with the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, and, accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Energy, Mykola Kolisnyk, visited the thermal power plant damaged in 2022 and recently restored.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine