MOSCOW, Apr 21 — RA News. Latvia will hand over all its the remaining Stinger MANPADS to Ukraine, said Latvian Defense Minister Inara Murniece.
«Today at a meeting in Ramstein, I announced that Latvia has decided to transfer the last batch of Stinger MANPADS to Ukraine. We are also continuing an ambitious training program for Ukrainian soldiers in Latvia,» Murniece wrote on Twitter.
In early February 2022, Latvia handed over Stinger air defense systems to Kyiv. After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, Latvia sent Kalashnikov assault rifles, thermal imagers, ammunition, equipment and dry rations to Kyiv. In the summer, Riga handed over 4 helicopters to Kyiv and announced a crowdfunding fundraiser for Turkish Bayraktar drones for Ukraine, but did not collect the required amount.
Earlier, Russia sent a note to NATO countries over arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation stated that the NATO countries are «playing with fire» by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect. Lavrov stated that the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, «including not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of personnel … on the territory of Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries.»
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