France agreed to open talks on Latvia joining nuclear deterrence initiative, Latvian leader says

Latvia's Prime ​Minister Andris Kulbergs said ​on Tuesday that ‌French President ​Emmanuel Macron had agreed to start talks with his country about ‌joining a French nuclear deterrence initiative and that France has committed to boosting its presence in Latvia. The move came ‌after Latvia agreed to abstain on an agreement among ‌the European Union's 27 member states to drop two billionaires from the bloc's Russian sanctions list and to roll over ⁠the ​remaining 3,000 ⁠individuals and entities for three years, after initially opposing the move.

“I ⁠have been in active contact with the French President about ​closer cooperation between Latvia and France in ⁠the field of security and defense. President Macron has agreed to ⁠start negotiations ​with Latvia on our country's accession to the French nuclear deterrence initiative," the Latvian prime minister ⁠said in a statement. "President Macron has also expressed his ⁠commitment to strengthen ⁠France's military presence in Latvia, especially in the field of air defense,” he ‌added.