Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Spain to send 150 reinforcement troops to Latvia

FILE PHOTO: Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles talks with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles during a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 17, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

Spain will send 150 additional troops to Latvia as part of a wider NATO buildup in the Baltic region following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Spanish Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

Spain, which already has 350 troops in the alliance's enhanced forward presence battlegroup in Latvia, is increasing the number in line with the NATO response plans "to preserve peace and security after the invasion."

The size of NATO battlegroups in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, once ruled from Moscow but now part of the European Union, are set to almost double from 3,400 troops at the start of the year to more than 6,000 in the near future.

Spain will send a field artillery Unit, an engineering unit and logistical support personnel, the ministry said.

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo; Editing by Nathan Allen, Alexandra Hudson)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.