Sweden deploys troops to Latvia

Swedish troops of the NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia arrive in Riga port, Latvia January 18, 2025.
Swedish troops of the NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia arrive in Riga port, Latvia January 18, 2025.
REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

Sweden has sent 550 troops to Latvia, its firstmajor deployment since joining NATO in March, which ended its decades-long neutrality.

The Swedishmechanized infantry battalion arrived in Riga on Saturday, escorted by Swedish air force and naval units. Stationed near the town of Adazi, the Swedish forces joined a Canadian-led multinational brigade, part of NATO’s effort to counter the growing threat Russia represents in the region since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Why Latvia? The small Baltic nation joined NATO in 2004 as part of a wave of former Soviet republics and satellites including Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Those are now the states on the front line of a potential confrontation with Russia — and Latvia wants to be ready. It is feared that a lightning strike from the East could cross the country in just a few hours if defenders aren’t ready to fight.

Sweden’s armed forces said the mission will ensure stability and “marks Sweden’s largest commitment yet since joining NATO” last year. According toLieutenant Colonel Henrik Rosdahl, “It’s a historic day, but at the same time, it’s our new normal.”

More from GZERO Media

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 17, 2025.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

A federal judge set up a showdown with the Trump administration on Wednesday with a ruling that threatens to find the government in contempt if it fails to comply with a judicial order to provide due process to Venezuelans deported to a prison in El Salvador.

Gavin Newsom speaks at the Vogue World: Hollywood Announcement at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, CA on March 26, 2025.
Photo by Corine Solberg/Sipa USA

California governor Gavin Newsom kicked off a campaign to promote Canadian tourism in his state, pitching its sunny beaches, lush vineyards, and world-class restaurants.

An employee checks filled capsules inside a Cadila Pharmaceutical company manufacturing unit at Dholka town on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, April 12, 2025.
REUTERS/Amit Dave

Donald Trump’s administration announced that it is opening investigations into pharmaceutical and semiconductor supply chains, which will likely result in tariffs that will hurt suppliers in Europe, India, and Canada.

Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party speaks after Democrat Josh Stein won the North Carolina governor's race, in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., November 5, 2024.
REUTERS/Jonathan Drake

As the Democrats start plotting their fight back into power in the 2026 midterms, one issue has come up again and again.

People gather after Friday prayers during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Amman, Jordan, on April 4, 2025.
REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak

Jordanian authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of 16 people accused of planning terrorist attacks inside Jordan. The country’s security services say the suspects had been under surveillance since 2021, and half a dozen of them were reportedly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization.