With the Kremlin advancing a more aggressive, revanchist policy, the importance of U.S. relations with the Baltic states, and from my perspective Latvia in particular, are more and more critical.

My travels to Latvia began when I worked for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, when Latvia was being considered for NATO membership. In 2008, as deputy assistant secretary of state, I consulted with the government of Latvia on missile defense following Russia’s invasion of Georgia. More recently, my time in Riga has focused on European energy security.