Zelensky's visit was aimed at thanking Latvia for supporting Ukraine in its war against aggressor Russia - expert

RIGA - The purpose of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit was to thank Latvia for supporting Ukraine in its war against the aggressor state Russia, Maris Andzans, Director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies, told LETA.

According to the expert, Zelensky's aim was also to remind that support will be needed, probably for a long time to come. Andzans admitted that the Ukrainian president does not expect significant practical support from the Baltic states on the scale of Ukraine's needs after his visits to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Although the Baltic states are leaders in terms of support in relation to gross domestic product, this cannot be compared to the support that can be provided by major powers such as the US or Germany.

"Other visits to Zelensky have been more important, for example last year the President of Ukraine visited the US, where he tried to persuade the Republicans to give aid. Last year's inauguration of the President of Argentina, where Zelensky literally cornered Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is also worth mentioning. The Baltic countries are among the last places in the world that Zelensky would need to convince for support, so I see the visit of the Ukrainian President as a thank-you visit and a symbolic gesture," Andzans said.

Asked whether the Ukrainian President's visit to the Baltics was also an attempt to reach out to the international community in order to secure, for example, a favorable decision by the European Council on a financial aid package for Ukraine, the Director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies said that this was unlikely, as news from Ukraine is constantly being relayed to the international community in many different ways.

"Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials give many interviews. I think the space is saturated with opinions from Ukraine. Nor can it be said that Zelensky came up with any fundamentally new messages during his visit to Latvia. The Ukrainian President has repeatedly stressed that, if Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, Russia's other neighbors may be next. We often tend to exaggerate the practical significance of such visits," Andzans stressed.