BNN Asks Political Analyst: Trump, Putin, and Ukraine – How can Latvia maintain its security?

Recent statements by former US President Donald Trump regarding the war in Ukraine, as well as his phone call with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, have shocked the global public. What is behind this rhetoric, and what should Latvians do? BNN asked political analyst and co-owner of the company Mediju Tilts, Filips Rajevskis.

“The first thing to understand is that we must do everything possible to establish contacts with Donald Trump’s administration and communicate our world view,” says Filips Rajevskis. According to him, one of the main issues at the moment is the lack of proper contacts with Trump’s administration.

“It’s one thing to say that Trump is doing something wrong and criticize him, but it’s entirely different to actually do something to change the situation. And in order to change something, we must find a way to do it. What are the means or connections through which our concerns can reach Trump’s ears?” the political analyst emphasizes.

“Since Donald Trump’s first administration, we have proven that we can not only listen but also react to matters concerning our national security. During his first presidency, it was established in Latvia that defence funding should not be less than two percent of GDP. Now, we have allocated four, even five percent of GDP, and it is extremely important to communicate this. We must show that we take his words seriously – “if you do not defend yourselves, we will not defend you either” – and that we are strengthening our national defence capabilities. In other words, Latvia is doing everything seriously to protect itself, but the opponent is of a different scale.”

When asked how much Latvia should invest in maintaining such communication channels, Filips Rajevskis responds that it must be done at all levels. “Of course, it would be best if Latvia had its own direct channel of communication, but the Baltic and European levels are also crucial. Otherwise, it could turn out that Europe arranges its important issues with America, our Baltic neighbours do the same, and we end up alone – left with the Palestinians, an anti-Israel stance, and our ambassador in Cuba,” the political analyst remarks sarcastically.

Filips Rajevskis also acknowledges that former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was right in saying that Trump’s statements are largely intended as a tool to push Europeans into action.

“He tries to mobilize Europe in unusual ways, and one cannot disagree that Europe needs to mobilize. Putting a hand on our hearts, let’s ask ourselves – has Europe done everything to help Ukrainians in this war? Latvia truly has done everything and more, but I dare say – and Trump also says this – Europe has not even come close to doing everything necessary to help Ukraine and itself.”

Commenting on the view that Trump’s statements about the war in Ukraine and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were largely driven by Zelenskyy’s refusal of a rare-earth metals deal, Filips Rajevskis notes that all discussions about rare-earth metals only benefit Ukraine. “If Americans mine rare-earth metals in Ukraine, that is unquestionably better than if Russians do. The good news is that these metals are mainly located in Russian-occupied territories, and in order to extract them, those territories would have to be liberated,” the political analyst explains.

Also read: BNN Asks a political analyst: Can Siliņa solve the “Briškens Problem” without toppling the government?

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Publish date : 2025-02-21 01:12:00

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