On the 8 February, Latvian Foreign Minister Karinš, who is visiting Japan, gave an exclusive interview to NHK, commenting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which will mark two years this month, saying, “If we don't stop Russia, the world will face big problems that will cost us a lot of money.” He expressed a sense of crisis and called for unity, even as it has been pointed out that support from the West is becoming fatigued.
Foreign Minister Karinš of Latvia, one of the three Baltic countries borders Russia, visited Japan for four days from the 6 February, and on the 8 February he gave an interview to NHK in Tokyo.
In this interview, Foreign Minister Karinš emphasized that Latvia has consistently continued to provide support to Ukraine, including the provision of weapons, and that the amount of support since the military invasion amounted to approximately 1% of GDP = gross domestic product.
Latvia was annexed to the former Soviet Union and had been a part of it for 50 years, so it has been extremely wary of Russian moves.
Foreign Minister Karinš said, “Russia is trying to destroy Ukraine, but it could have been Latvia, which borders Russia. In Latvia, we are confident that the Ukrainian people are fighting Russia on our behalf”.
He expressed a sense of crisis, saying, “If we don't stop Russia, the world will have big problems that will cost us a lot of money,” and the United States, which has been Ukraine's biggest supporter, is running out of budget, and while it has been pointed out that the West is tired of aid, he called for continued support and unity.
Foreign Minister Karinš said, “The people of Ukraine are fighting for a rules-based order, and to support them will directly or indirectly benefit Japan.” And he emphasized the importance of Japan's assistance and expressed his intention to advance cooperation with Japan.