Latvian Defense Minister Raivis Melnis has arrived in Kyiv on his first foreign visit since taking office, per the state’s Defense Ministry. According to the report on X, Melnis has a series of high-level meetings scheduled during his visit to the Ukrainian capital.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The purpose of the talks is to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries, discuss the participation of Latvian industry in supporting Ukraine’s defense, and explore the creation of joint defense ventures. According to earlier reports, Ukrainian military drone specialists will travel to Latvia next week to help strengthen defenses against growing aerial threats following recent drone incursions into Baltic airspace. On Wednesday, Latvian Prime Minister said that Ukrainian experts with frontline combat experience will assess Latvia’s air defense capabilities and recommend improvements. “We will know what technical equipment is necessary to protect our skies to the best level,” Kulbergs said. The Melnis’ visit also follows the signing of a bilateral drone cooperation agreement between Kulbergs and President Volodymyr Zelensky during the Nordic-Baltic prime ministers’ summit. Kulbergs said both Latvia and NATO must adapt more “rapidly” to evolving drone threats, stressing that traditional approaches are no longer sufficient. “We need to move to someone who knows best in the world how to do that,” he said, referring to Ukraine’s experience defending against Russian drone attacks.
Latvian Defense Minister Begins First Foreign Visit in Kyiv for Defense and Industry Talks
Kyiv and Riga are set to deepen ties as Latvia’s defense chief begins high-level talks on military support and joint production.











