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During her visit to Washington, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, discussed defence cooperation, support for Ukraine, the security situation in the Middle East, energy and joint action to counter threats posed by Russia and Iran with US and international partners.
On 16–17 July 2026 in Washington, DC, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, met with US senators, participated in a ministerial meeting hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, ministers from South American countries, as well as White House and US administration officials and the leaders of the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC).
During the meeting with Senators Elissa Slotkin, Gary Peters and Mark Kelly, the Minister highlighted the special bond between Latvia and the US and their close partnership in the field of defence.
The Minister met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and participated in a ministerial meeting hosted by him, attended by representatives of more than 60 countries. In her address to the participants of the meeting, Baiba Braže shared Latvia’s experience in strengthening resilience against the harmful influence and hybrid threats from foreign countries. The Minister emphasised that Russia and Iran are coordinating their actions more closely than ever, using sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation, and proxy groups and criminal networks they support to weaken democratic countries. Countering these threats requires closer cooperation among allies, timely information sharing and coordinated action.
Discussions with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar focused on the security situation in the Middle East and efforts to prevent further escalation in the region. The ministers also exchanged views on the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on international security and continued support for Ukraine.
During a meeting with the leaders of the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC), cooperation in representing the interests of the Baltic states in the US and coordinated future joint activities were discussed. The Minister thanked the organisation's departing Managing Director, Karl Altau, for his contributions and expressed her commitment to working with the new Managing Director, Lee Allen.
During the visit, meetings and discussions were also held with Jarrod Agen, Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the National Energy Dominance Council, as well as with representatives of the Department of Defence to discuss future cooperation in security, defence, energy and the economy.
