The President of Latvia admitted the possibility of placing NATO nuclear weapons in the country

Latvia is ready to deploy nuclear weapons if NATO makes a collective decision on this matter and if such a need arises, said the President of the Republic Edgars Rinkevich.

“If the need arises and the appropriate collective decision by NATO is taken, nuclear weapons will be deployed in Latvia,” Rinkevich told local news agency LETA.

Rinkevich emphasized that the Latvian constitution does not prohibit the deployment of nuclear weapons. “We have no legally established obstacles in our laws for the deployment of nuclear weapons in Latvia,” the head of state said.

He recalled that in 2003, during the period of Latvia’s preparations for joining NATO, each member state of the bloc confirmed the absence of restrictions on the implementation of the full NATO collective security mechanism, including participation in the nuclear deterrence system. At the same time, Rinkevich emphasized that there are currently no specific discussions taking place regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons in Latvia.

The Financial Times, citing sources, reported in early June that the United States was discussing the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in additional European NATO countries, which would allow the deployment of dual-purpose aircraft capable of carrying out nuclear strikes. According to the publication, a number of Baltic countries and the eastern flank of NATO, including Poland, are interested in the proposal to deploy the aircraft.