Latvia is a Baltic state occupying a strategically critical position on NATO’s northeastern flank. It shares borders with Russia and Belarus to the east and south, and with Estonia and Lithuania to the north and south respectively, making it the central link in the Baltic chain. Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 and its foreign policy since independence has been oriented entirely toward Western integration as a security guarantee against Russian revisionism.

Latvia faces a distinctive demographic challenge: approximately 25% of its population is ethnically Russian, the legacy of Soviet-era immigration policies. This creates a persistent vulnerability to Russian hybrid warfare narratives claiming to speak for “Russian-speaking minorities” in the Baltic states — the same rhetorical framework Russia used to justify military action in Georgia and Ukraine.

Latvia joined NATO and the EU in 2004. It hosts a NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroup led by Canada at Ådaži military base. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, NATO upgraded its Baltic presence and Latvia committed to increasing defence spending above 3% of GDP. Latvia is part of the Bucharest Nine (B9) group of eastern flank states. It adopted the euro in 2014. Latvia has consistently lobbied for permanent rather than rotational NATO troop deployments on the eastern flank.

Latvia’s defence spending reached approximately 3.73% of GDP in 2024, and the Saeima has since passed a record budget allocating 4.91% of GDP to defence — placing Latvia among the highest defence spenders relative to GDP in NATO alongside Lithuania and Estonia (Latvian MoD, 2026; EP Think Tank, 2026). The National Armed Forces of Latvia have approximately 8,500 active personnel and a National Guard reserve of approximately 11,000. Latvia reintroduced mandatory military service in 2023 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, requiring 11 months of service for male citizens.

Latvia has provided military aid to Ukraine including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, artillery ammunition, and military vehicles. It has been one of the strongest advocates within the EU and NATO for sustained Ukraine support and for stricter Russia sanctions.

Russia — border and minority tensions: Latvia shares a 214km border with Russia. The 2007 Estonian cyberattacks demonstrated Russian willingness to use hybrid warfare against Baltic states. Latvia’s Russian-speaking minority (concentrated in Riga and the eastern Latgale region) is a persistent vulnerability to Russian influence operations.

Abrene/Pytalovo territorial question: A small territory that was part of interwar Latvia was incorporated into the Russian SFSR in 1944 and is now the Russian town of Pytalovo. Latvia formally renounced its claim to this territory in its 2007 border treaty with Russia, ratified definitively in 2007.

Language and citizenship policy: Latvia’s citizenship and language laws, which require Latvian language proficiency and exclude Soviet-era immigrants from automatic citizenship, have been a persistent source of tension with Russia, which frames them as discrimination against Russian speakers.

• 1NATO, Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014–2024) — nato.int
• 2Latvian Ministry of Defence, Defence Policy — mod.gov.lv
• 3NATO, Enhanced Forward Presence Latvia — nato.int
• 4IMF, World Economic Outlook Database 2024 — imf.org