“We stand by the people of Ukraine and we will continue to stand by them. Latvia will do everything in its power for a quicker victory for Ukraine!” Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa said on Thursday, 22 February, at the extraordinary sitting of the Saeima dedicated to commemorating two years since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“It is right now, when the support for Ukraine is beginning to run out, a new push of hope and support is needed. If Russia paves its path with bloody lies, Ukraine counters it with truth that has been captured by the photograph,” said Antoņina Ņenaševa, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 22 February, opening the photo exhibition “Ukraine. Chronicles of War” in the Saeima. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Ukrainian Verkhovna, and the authors of the photographs are two prominent Ukrainian photojournalists – Maks Levin and Yan Dobronosov. 

In the light of the destruction and suffering as a result of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, including the murder of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and acts of terrorism against civilian infrastructure, the Saeima adopted a Statement on Thursday, 22 February, honouring Ukrainian defenders and citizens for their courage and heroism and expressing support to Ukraine until its victory.

Two years ago, on 24 February 2024, Russia unleashed a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. While Russia hoped to crush the Ukrainian state and nation within days, Ukraine has not only held out against the onslaughts of aggression, it has pushed the invaders out of a significant portion of its lands and continues to fight for its own freedom and ours.

Today, our common priority is security in the Baltic Sea region. We highly appreciate what we have already done together, and what Finland has done for our common security, said Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Friday, 16 February, meeting with the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-Aho in Helsinki, Finland.

It will be easier for citizens to refinance mortgages. A simplified transition to another lender was prescribed by the Saeima, on Thursday, 15 February, in the final reading of the amendments to three laws.

“Right now it is extremely important to place pressure on Russia at a global scale. We need to be sure that our partners understand how Russia is continuing to wage war against civilians, children and the national identity of Ukrainians,” Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima and Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said at the international conference Russia’s War on Children.

According to the amendments to the Sports Law adopted by the Saeima on Thursday, 1 February, Latvian national teams representing team sports will not be allowed to play against Russian and Belarusian national teams. The ban will also apply if athletes from these countries participate in competitions in neutral status.

We no longer have any illusions about Russia. The aggressor has adjusted its economy for a protracted war and spends more than a third of its budget on its military. We must not underestimate the adversary, Russia is constantly changing tactics in the battlefield and learning quickly. Western allies need to be aware that Russia will not stop at Ukraine unless we stop it. This was emphasised by the Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa during her visit to Washington D.C. to meet U.S. legislators.

The United States have an indispensable role in the security of Europe. Today, global security is based on a strong partnership between the U.S. and Europe, stressed Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, meeting with Mike Johnson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and other U.S. lawmakers in Washington, D.C.  Mieriņa is visiting the U.S. together with Lauri Hussar, Speaker of the Estonian Riigikogu, and Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas. When meeting with the Baltic Speakers, Johnson reaffirmed the U.S. strategic partnership with the Baltic States.