Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said in an interview with CNN that he sees no reason to prevent Ukraine from striking military targets on Russian territory using Western weapons. His remarks drew criticism from Russia, where they were called reckless and provoking a direct military confrontation with Moscow.

“What we are seeing is actually a consequence of our failure to provide Ukraine with weapons and the imposition of restrictions on the use of these weapons to strike military targets in Russia. We are not talking about cities or civilians, we are talking about legitimate military targets.", said the Latvian leader.

Rinkevics also stressed that he shares the point of view of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who previously declared Ukraine’s right to attack military targets on Russian territory using Western weapons.

“I absolutely agree with the NATO Secretary General. I think he's right. This is a pretty important point and it seems to me that there is no rational, pragmatic reason not to allow Ukraine to use these weapons against Russia in the most effective way,” - noted the head of the Latvian state.

Russian officials have repeatedly emphasized that any attempt to attack its territory using Western weapons will be regarded as direct aggression requiring a symmetrical response. Moscow warns that such actions could lead to an escalation of the conflict and increased tension in the region.