Latvia’s parliament on Thursday designated Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over the war in Ukraine and called on Western allies to impose sweeping new sanctions against Moscow, Reuters reported.

“Latvia recognizes Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide directed against the Ukrainian people,” reads the resolution adopted by the Riga parliament on Thursday.

He also demands that Western countries increase military, financial, humanitarian and diplomatic aid to Ukraine and support initiatives that condemn Moscow’s actions.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded shortly after the resolution’s vote, saying on Twitter that Ukraine was grateful to Latvia and that his country “encourages other states and organizations to follow its example.”

Last week, Latvia became the first European country to suspend visas for Russian citizens, exempting only those Russians who want to attend funerals of close relatives in the country.

This Tuesday, Estonia and Finland called on the European Union to stop issuing visas to Russians, and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that “visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right.”

Ukraine has powerful supporters in the Baltic states

The tiny Baltic states have been among Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since the February 24 war began, given their own turbulent history with Russia in both the tsarist and Soviet eras.

Russian aggression against Ukraine gave these states the impetus to remove the last monuments of the Soviet era, a move that previously lacked political consensus due to the significant Russian minority in their territories and fears of a negative reaction from Moscow.

Also, at the beginning of April, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania became the first member states of the European Union to completely stop the import of Russian natural gas.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called on the rest of the EU countries to follow the example of the Baltic states. The move comes after the Baltic states expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in a coordinated move in mid-March.

Also in March, they renamed the streets on which Russian embassies are located in their capitals to demonstrate their support for Ukraine. They also announced the provision of military support to Kyiv and asked NATO to increase its presence in the Baltic Sea region.

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