Luxembourg, Latvia Hold Talks On Defence Support

On Friday 24 April 2026, Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence Yuriko Backes welcomed Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds for a working visit at Bourglinster Castle in Luxembourg.

According to Luxembourg’s Directorate of Defence, following a guard of honour by the Luxembourg Army, the ministers held a bilateral working meeting, welcoming the “strong cooperation” between the two countries in the field of defence.

For several years, Luxembourg’s defence has provided financial support to military infrastructure projects in Latvia, including the construction of barracks at the Ādaži military base, which hosts NATO’s multinational Forward Land Forces brigade.

Ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey in July 2026, the visit also provided an opportunity to exchange views on NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, particularly on its eastern flank, as well as on the Alliance’s political priorities, noted the authorities. Minister Backes stressed in this context: “It is essential to strengthen the defence capabilities of EU member states and the European pillar within NATO, both by increasing defence investment and by reinforcing our operational, industrial and technological contributions.”

The meeting also allowed the ministers to review the evolving geopolitical situation, marked by instability, particularly the security situation in the Middle East and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, said the authorities. In this context, they discussed military support provided by Luxembourg, its allies, the EU and NATO to Ukraine, as well as progress within capability coalitions established under the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, including the “IT” coalition led by Estonia and Luxembourg, and the “drones” coalition led by Latvia, to which Luxembourg has contributed €3.4 million.

During a joint visit to Betzdorf, the ministers visited Luxembourg-based space solutions company SES and LuxGovSat, a public-private partnership and joint venture equally owned by SES and the Luxembourg government.

Continuing discussions on cooperation in the space sector, Minister Backes highlighted the adoption in January 2026 of the GovSat-2 law, which authorises the government to finance the acquisition, launch and operation of a satellite dedicated to government and defence communications, as well as the launch of Luxembourg’s first Earth observation satellite, LUXEOSys, which is expected to become operational in the coming months.

In the afternoon, Ministers Sprūds and Backes attended the 208th recruit oath ceremony at Walferdange Castle.