Latvia's government has collapsed after disagreements over how the Baltic country responded to Ukrainian drones that fell on its territory near the border with Russia.
Prime Minister Evika Siliņa resigned on Thursday after her coalition partner withdrew support, plunging the NATO frontline state into political chaos just months before scheduled parliamentary elections.
Siliņa had dismissed Defense Minister Andris Sprūds over the weekend after several incidents involving Ukrainian drones that appeared to be on their way to strike targets inside Russia but fell in far eastern Latvia. Sprūds's Progressive Party subsequently signaled that it would no longer support the government.
"I'm resigning, but I'm not giving up," said Silina.
President Edgars Rinkevics said he will talk with all parliamentary parties in Latvia on Friday about the way forward.
Latvia is one of NATO's most important frontline states, bordering both Russia and Belarus, and has significantly increased its defense spending. It is expected to approach NATO's 2035 target of 5 percent of GDP on defense this year as it seeks to deter Moscow.
The Latvian government has invested significant resources in drone warfare, supporting several start-ups for both offensive and defensive capabilities.
But it has been embarrassed by several Ukrainian drones that have crashed in eastern Latvia in recent months, as well as in Estonia and Lithuania.
Ukraine's foreign minister has blamed Russian electronic interference for the crashes, which have increased tensions between Kiev and the Baltic states, which have criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for warning that Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania could be Moscow's next military target.
Siliņa said over the weekend that Sprūds had lost her and the public's trust because he had not deployed anti-drone equipment quickly enough, and proposed replacing him with a professional military officer.
Both Rinkēvics and former presidents have warned that Latvia cannot afford political chaos at a time when concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions to test NATO are growing again in frontline states.
Some Baltic diplomats have warned that Putin may be tempted to increase provocations while US President Donald Trump is in office and before other European countries increase their defense spending, writes FT.
