Ināra Mūrniece, Latvian Defence Minister, believes that it is early to assume that Russia, despite significant losses in the full-scale war in Ukraine, is weakened and incapable of new "strategic surprises".

According to the press service of the Latvian Defence Ministry, the participants of a meeting of defence ministers from NATO's twelve Northern Group countries in the Polish city of Legionow near Warsaw agreed that Russia's aggressive stance poses a direct threat to the security, stability and prosperity of the entire Euro-Atlantic region. It is therefore crucial to continue to provide military support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia's brutal aggression.

"Despite the regular security threats to our region, we must also be prepared for Russia to continue to use its wide arsenal of hybrid and nuclear threats to intimidate and weaken Western support for Ukraine," she said.

"Therefore, we must remain united and consistent in our support for Ukraine and continue to be the driving force that consolidates and unites Western democracies in their full support for Ukraine."

Discussing the priorities of the Northern Group countries at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Defence Ministers expressed their belief that the Summit's decisions should strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defence posture in the region to counter current and future threats from Russia.

The Northern Group is an informal forum for cooperation, including twelve countries: Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, the three Baltic states, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

As it is known, the North Atlantic Alliance is completing the reform of its joint strategy to counter the Russian threat and terrorism amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Kremlin's constant threats.