Latvian PM Resigns After Dispute Over Ukrainian Drones

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced her resignation on Thursday, bringing down the ruling coalition just months before the October elections. In a televised address, she said she was stepping down but not withdrawing from politics.

President Edgars Rinkevics, who under the constitution is responsible for appointing the prime minister, is due to meet all parliamentary parties on Friday.

The New Unity party lost its parliamentary majority after the left-wing Progressives party withdrew its support for the government.

The move followed the dismissal of Defense Minister Andris Spruds, a member of the Progressives, over incidents involving foreign drones in Latvian airspace. Last Thursday, two Ukrainian drones that entered from Russia landed on unused oil storage tanks.

(reuters, bak)