Relationship dossier
Latvia
Russia
Relationship assessment
Latvia–Russia relations are sharply adversarial, with security, sanctions, diplomacy and historical disputes at the center.
Latvia toward Russia
-65Latvia has supported EU sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and has reduced Russian diplomatic representation, including declaring the Russian ambassador persona non grata in 2023. These policies reflect a sustained deterioration in Latvia’s government relations with Russia.
Russia toward Latvia
-70Russia has designated Latvia an unfriendly state and imposed restrictions on its diplomatic representation. It has also responded to Latvia’s reduction of Russian diplomatic representation with reciprocal measures, reinforcing an adversarial government relationship.
Overall relationship
-70The relationship is persistently adversarial, with Latvia’s security alignment against Russian policy and reciprocal diplomatic restrictions set against unresolved disputes over Soviet-era history and Russian-language policy. Russia’s war against Ukraine has further deepened the security divide.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Latvia–Russia relations are sharply adversarial, shaped by Latvia’s security concerns, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and disputes over Soviet history and Russian-language policy. Latvia has aligned with EU sanctions and reduced Russian diplomatic representation; Russia has imposed reciprocal diplomatic restrictions and treated Latvia as an unfriendly state. These actions sit alongside enduring bilateral tensions over security and historical interpretation.
Areas of tension
- Latvia’s security alignment and support for sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
- Reciprocal reductions and restrictions on diplomatic representation
- Disputes over the interpretation of Soviet occupation and history
- Latvian policies concerning Russian-language education and public life
Key developments
Latvia reduced Russian diplomatic representation and ordered the closure of Russian consular offices.
Latvia declared the Russian ambassador persona non grata amid the deterioration in relations.
Russia designated Latvia an unfriendly state and imposed restrictions on its diplomatic representation.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and implementation of bilateral restrictions beyond the major diplomatic measures are unclear.
- The extent of direct government engagement on practical cross-border matters is uncertain.