Latvia allocates 1.2 million euros for Ukrainian army.

As reported by LSM public broadcasting of Latvia, the Latvian government on March 1 approved allocating EUR 1.2 million from the state budget's contingency funds to support the Ukrainian armed forces. The Foreign Ministry says that, in reaction to the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, an extraordinary informal meeting of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council was convened on February 27 to reach a political agreement on giving EUR 500 million to the Ukrainian military from the European Peace Facility.
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General Lieutenant Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Picture source: Kyiv Post)

Of this amount, EUR 450 million will go to lethal arms such as weapons, ammunition, howitzers, cannons, mortars, anti-tank systems, anti-missile systems, and EUR 50 million to non-lethal equipment and supplies - fuel, personal protective equipment, first aid kits. This assistance will be implemented through the defense ministries of the EU member countries, and in the case of Latvia, it will be through the National Defense and Logistics Procurement Center. In total, 2.4 million euros will be channeled towards the provision of support to Ukraine.

As reported by LSM, Latvia will pay half of that amount, 1.2 million euros, into the European Peace Instrument, in line with the decision taken for the first time in the history of the European Union to deliver weapons to a third country and an agreement achieved at the Foreign Affairs Council on 27 February to immediately deliver weapons and equipment to the Ukrainian armed.

A further 1.2 million euros will be channeled into the provision of emergency assistance to Ukraine in response to requests from the Ukrainian government. "This amount will enable Latvia to decide without delay on contributions to international organizations providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, ensure rehabilitation in Latvia for Ukrainian soldiers and their family members, offer assistance to the representatives of Ukrainian institutions in emergency situations, and provide the necessary support for independent media and journalists in Ukraine. This allocation will also allow Latvia to respond to Moldova’s request for assistance with receiving Ukrainian refugees. In addition, support is envisaged for the selfless work of Latvia’s civil society organizations and the private sector as they are organizing and offering much-needed assistance to Ukrainian partners," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Until now, 30 deliveries have been sent to the Ukrainian Armed Forces with support from the Government of Latvia, as well as individual equipment and ammunition, SM reports. The said deliveries also contain donations, including food, essential items, and medical supplies.

Latvia's government also expressed support for the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine, which Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said was "an important signal of solidarity with Ukraine and its people, confirming that it belongs to the future of Europe". President Egils Levits expressed the same sentiment Monday alongside other EU leaders, as previously reported by LSM.