Britain should consider a conscription and adopt Finland’s model of national service to deter Russia, according to Lativa’s forergn minister Krisjanis Karins.
The Latvian minister said the only way to defend against Russia’s aggressive policy was to consider a ‘total defence’ model which would involve the conscription of citizens to fight on the front lines at short notice.
He also said that Britain, along with other NATO allies, would have to increase its defence spending in the coming years to protect itself.
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The Mail Online reports: The comments follow British Army General Sir Patrick Sanders’s calls for the UK to be prepared to answer the call to fight for King and country in the form of a ‘citizen army’.
Mr Karins revealed that Latvia, which shares a 133-mile border with Russia, reintroduced conscription following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.
Following Finland’s model, all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 27 are required to complete an 11-month term of national service.
The foreign minister, who was his country’s prime minister until September, encouraged the UK and other countries to follow their lead.
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, he said: ‘We would strongly recommend this. We are developing and fleshing out a system of what we call a total defence involving all parts of civil society.’
Mr Karins added that Nato was willing to fight for every inch of its members’ territory and that Britain was important for this defence plan.
Finland’s conscription model has allowed it to build up a small standing army but a large reserve of up to 250,000 trained troops.
The Nordic country joined Nato in April 2023 and their neighbour Sweden followed suit earlier this month.
The Latvian minister’s comments have been echoed by Professor Anthony Glees, a security and intelligence expert at the University of Buckingham who says it’s right that Britain prepare itself to go to war with the president of Russia in the next six years.
