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On 23 April 2026 in Rome, the Embassy of Latvia in Italy hosted a discussion titled “Russia’s Aggression Against Ukraine as a Long-Term Challenge for the UN Security Council and the European Union – Impact and Solutions,” featuring the Ambassador-at-Large for Ukraine and Baltic Sea Region Security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Juris Poikāns, as the main speaker.
Linking an analytical assessment of the region’s history with Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine, Juris Poikāns emphasised the Latvian Government’s unwavering support for Ukraine, while stressing the need to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which is one of Latvia’s priorities on the UN Security Council’s agenda. He emphasised the need to maintain a focus on providing support based on Ukraine’s needs: financial support, strengthening the resilience of the energy sector, as well as enhancing security and defence capabilities. Regarding future security guarantees for Ukraine, Juris Poikāns noted that Ukraine’s membership of the European Union, as well as of NATO in the long term, plays a crucial role.
Together with university professors Federica Mucci and Ambassador Patrizio Fondi , as well as students, broader EU policy issues were also discussed, including the European Neighborhood Policy and enlargement policy, as well as security challenges in the Baltic Sea region and cooperation within the Nordic–Baltic (NB8) framework.
The Embassy of Latvia in Italy organised the discussion in co-operation with the University of Rome Tor Vergata and the Secretary General of the Diplomacy Festival, Giorgio Bartolomucci.
The event was organised as part of the diplomatic programme to support the implementation of Latvia’s priorities during its membership in the UN Security Council and to promote Latvia’s recognition. On 3 June 2025, Latvia was elected to the UN Security Council for the term from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027. Serving as a non-permanent member of the Security Council will be one of the key instruments for securing Latvia’s foreign policy interests. The primary objective of Latvia’s participation in the UN Security Council is to safeguard and strengthen an international environment that supports the security of Latvia while using and enhancing the opportunities provided by multilateral diplomacy.