Relationship dossier
Latvia
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Close security partnership, including British-led NATO forces in Latvia and support for Ukraine.
Latvia toward United Kingdom
+75Latvia cooperates with the United Kingdom on NATO defence and European security, and aligns with British efforts to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Latvia hosts the NATO multinational battlegroup led by the United Kingdom, a concrete element of their shared defence arrangements.
United Kingdom toward Latvia
+75The United Kingdom contributes to Latvia’s security by leading NATO’s enhanced forward presence battlegroup stationed in the country. It also cooperates with Latvia on NATO policy and support for Ukraine, reflecting sustained British engagement in Baltic and European security.
Overall relationship
+75The relationship is anchored in sustained NATO defence cooperation, notably the British-led multinational battlegroup in Latvia, and coordinated support for Ukraine. These concrete security arrangements make the partnership substantially closer than routine diplomatic relations, though its precise future force commitments and broader cooperation may evolve.
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 and the United Kingdom maintain a close security and political partnership. The United Kingdom has contributed to NATO’s enhanced forward presence in Latvia, including by leading the multinational battlegroup there, while both governments cooperate through NATO and support Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion. The partnership is reinforced by extensive bilateral defence cooperation and coordination on European security.
Key developments
The United Kingdom assumed leadership of NATO’s enhanced forward presence battlegroup in Estonia, while Canada led the battlegroup in Latvia.
The United Kingdom became the framework nation for NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Estonia; the United States leads the battlegroup in Latvia.
The United Kingdom committed to reinforce its NATO presence in Estonia and maintain a substantial force available for deployment to the region.
Major uncertainties
- The longer-term scale and form of British force contributions in Latvia may change with NATO decisions.
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation beyond defence and security are unclear.