LTV: Mr. Blinken, thank you very much for your time! How do you assess the security situation in the Baltics?
Anthony Blinken: First of all, I would like to say that Latvia has done a wonderful job in welcoming the NATO alliance and bringing us all together and at such an important time when there are security challenges, especially with regard to Ukraine and Belarus. However, when it comes to the Baltic allies and partners – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – I think we have seen a very clear commitment from the whole alliance to respect [NATO līguma] Article 5, as well as recognition of the very important contribution of the Baltic States to the NATO Alliance.
Are we safe then?
We are allies, and allies have responsibilities. And US President Joe Biden is adamant in this regard, both about Article 5 and the fact that attacking one country means attacking everyone. And, as you know, the only time in NATO’s history that this Article 5 was triggered was for the US defense after the 9/11 attacks. This is something we will never forget. And we have the same commitment to the other allies and partners.
The NATO meeting is really taking place at a difficult time, when there are big problems on the border between Belarus and Poland, and Lithuania and Latvia are also suffering. How do you see NATO need to be more involved?
We strongly condemn the use of innocent migrants by the Lukashenko regime as a political weapon to destabilize the situation. We are very strongly opposed to this, as is Latvia. We are working very closely with the European Union to implement additional sanctions on the Lukashenko regime, both for using migrants as a weapon and for targeting the people of Belarus. We very much appreciate Latvia’s position and support for the Belarusian opposition. And I think what I heard from all NATO members was strong support for democracy and opposition in Belarus, both in terms of this migration and in terms of democracy in Belarus.
On the eve of this meeting, the development of NATO’s new Strategic Concept was one of the key issues. We have heard a lot that it will change a lot, because the world in which NATO is located has changed. But we are very interested in what Russia will be called in this concept, because so far it has been called a “partner”.
You are absolutely right, because the last time NATO wrote a strategic concept was in 2010 and the world looked completely different. We called Russia a partner, China was not mentioned at all, as well as various new challenges, especially in cyberspace, hybrid attacks – all of which were not mentioned because it was a different world.
So the new strategic concept that the member states have agreed to complete before the next summit in Spain will reflect the challenges facing the Alliance today, not ten years ago. However, Russia remains at the center of everything and as an object of our concern. So is terrorism. And I think it is all about the need to be sure that we have strong defense and deterrence capabilities, that we have the capacity to resolve conflicts in an appropriate way, and that we have the capacity to strengthen partnerships with other countries around the world. That is our foundation. However, the strategic concept will reflect the world we live in now, not 2010.
Mr Blinken, you will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tomorrow in Stockholm. What will you tell him what you expect from this meeting, what will be your message?
Before I meet Minister Lavrov, I will meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kulebas.
I have spent the last two days here in Latvia in intensive consultations with the Member States, and we have also had many consultations in recent weeks on the situation in Ukraine.
And especially in view of these regular movements and the mobilization of Russian forces at the Ukrainian border, this is a matter of great concern to all Member States. We have already had the opportunity to express these concerns directly to Moscow. I will do the same tomorrow when I meet Mr Lavrov, but I will do so after consulting all NATO members. And I think I will be able to reflect the views not only of the United States, but of all the Member States, both on our concerns and on our conviction that Russia’s further aggression against Ukraine will have serious consequences.
Which ones?
I will not go deeper now, but I can tell you that this is a real solution. At the same time, a diplomatic route is possible.
Russia says the Minsk agreement must be implemented, and the Ukrainians say the same. I think that if that happened, we would at least have solved the problems in Donbass.
This would not solve the Crimean question, but at least the situation in Eastern Ukraine. Let’s see how seriously they take it. However, there must be a clear understanding that there will be consequences if there is further aggression in Ukraine.
Thank you very much!
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