NATO Summit in Vilnius 2023

June, 27, 2023

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr.
President of the United States

The Honorable Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The Right Honorable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada

The Honorable Jens Stoltenberg
Secretary General of NATO

Dear Sirs,
The upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius will once again test the resolve of the Allies to provide support to Ukraine
and show a strong united front of the collective West to the agressor state Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin.
The purpose and resilience of the alliance is being tested again and again, and therefore, we, the World Federation
of Free Latvians, encourage NATO leaders to send clear signals and take strong actions out of the Vilnius Summit.

As the umbrella organization for the hundreds of thousands of Latvians living in Europe, the United States, Canada,
Australia, and South America, we, the World Federation of Free Latvians:
• Thank NATO leadership for the recent bold change of defense and deterrence policies in regard to
protecting the Baltic Nations from “occupy-then-liberate” to a “defend-every-inch” posture, but we urge
you to commit the neceessary permenant on-the-ground troops and equipment in the region to ensure
the success of this policy .
• Encourage the Vilnius summit to provide a clear road map to Ukraine and its brave military to join the
Alliance and to provide additional military assistance in support of Ukraine’s planned 2023
counteroffensive.
• Call on you to apply all appropriate pressure on Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden’s membership into
NATO. This will fortify the security of the northern Baltic Sea region and protect the peaceful people living
in those countries by integrating their defense capabilities with NATO.
• Seek a NATO initiative to expand production capacity for weapons systems and ammunition in the Baltic
countries. This will enhance NATO defense stocks while simultaneously provide stimulus for economies
harmed by the war.

Latvians living in the NATO countries outside of Latvia are concerned about the security of the Baltic region in the
light of Russia’s war in Ukraine. NATO’s needed role as a strong defensive alliance is made clearer with renewed
Russian threats and actual aggression. The leaders of Western countries should stand firm for freedom, peace,
and prosperity.

Respectfully,

Peteris Blumbergs,
World Federation of Free Latvians
President