We must help Ukraine win the war with everything we have to our disposal - Murniece

RIGA - We must help Ukraine win this war with everything we have to our disposal, Saeima Speaker Inara Murniece (National Alliance) said at the opening of the Three Seas Initiative Parliamentary Forum in Riga on Tuesday.

We are interested in lasting peace in Europe, and Russia's interests are at odds with that, Murniece said, noting that Ukraine must be helped by supplying arms, sanctions must continue on Russia and its satellite, the Alexander Lukashenko regime, and these two countries must remain isolated. The countries of the Three Seas Initiative are also providing support to Ukraine in hosting refugees, the Speaker of the Saeima emphasized.

Murniece also emphasized the challenges that countries are currently facing. Due to high energy prices, costs are becoming more expensive, therefore it is necessary to redirect energy supplies and get rid of dependence on Russia, the Speaker of the Saeima emphasized.

European security is the primary task of the Three Seas Initiative, which has been seriously challenged by Russia's attack on Ukrainian democracy, Murniece noted. The Speaker of the Saeima said that the presence of the Deputy Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Olena Kondratyuk, a guest of the Parliamentary Forum, reminds of the sustainability of democracy - the Ukrainian Parliament continues to work even during the war.

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, Rihards Kols (National Alliance), noted that the war started by Russia in Ukraine will have long-lasting, negative and severe economic consequences.

"In recent history, we have seen examples of how we have worked to protect the people of our countries and improve their living conditions," said Kols, hoping that the parliamentary forum would serve as a basis for further developing concrete ideas.

Kols paid tribute to Ukraine's struggle for its freedom and the freedom of Europe. In addition, the decision taken yesterday to establish a closer partnership with Ukraine under the Three Seas Initiative will help the reconstruction of Ukraine, the politician added.

The Three Seas Initiative was established in 2016 to promote unity and various projects between these 12 member states of the European Union - Latvia, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.