Latvia’s Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said 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.

Source:  Reuters