Latvia to Accelerate Ratification of Agreement on Joining the Special Tribunal — Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk Met Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže
18 February 2026, 18:33
Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Olena Kondratiuk held a working meeting in Riga with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže. The Deputy Speaker thanked the Latvian Government for allocating €10 million for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine under NATO's PURL program. “We are very grateful for this timely decision,” Olena Kondratiuk said.
The parties also noted that they do not see russia's willingness to end the war through diplomatic means. As Foreign Minister Baiba Braže emphasized, the Latvian government will continue to provide Ukraine with all possible assistance and will seek to strengthen sanctions against russia and its shadow fleet. In addition, Latvia advocates for fair punishment of the russian aggressor.
"Estonia became the first Baltic country to ratify the Agreement on the Establishment and Commencement of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. During the meeting with Baiba Braže, she called on the Latvian government to prepare this agreement for ratification by the Latvian Parliament as soon as possible. The Minister assured that the Latvian government would do so in the near future," emphasized Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk.
During the meeting, Latvia's unwavering support for Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO was also discussed. For her part, Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk emphasized that the Verkhovna Rada had done everything possible at the legislative level to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. "We are technically ready to open all the main clusters. However, for political reasons, we are facing a veto from Hungary. For Ukraine, EU membership is a guarantee of security, so we hope for unity within the European Union on this issue," Olena Kondratiuk stressed.
According to the Deputy Speaker, full membership in the military coalition of Northern European countries JEF, of which Latvia is a member, is also important for Ukraine's security. "JEF considers russia to be the greatest threat to Europe. We hope that Latvia will support our membership and that a decision will be made at the next JEF summit in Helsinki. Ukraine is also interested in conducting joint military exercises with JEF," said Olena Kondratiuk.