FILE - Latvia's Prime Minister Evika Silina arrives for the EU Summit in Ayia Napa, Greek Cyprus, on April 23, 2026. (AP Photo
Latvia's Prime Minister Evika Silina resigned Thursday after a key party in her coalition withdrew support in a row over Ukrainian drones that strayed into the Baltic nation.
The drones were on an attack mission across the border in Russia, and Ukraine said they crashed into Latvian territory on May 7 after being electronically diverted by the Russian military. One caused a fire at a disused oil storage site in eastern Latvia.
Silina on Sunday sacked her defense minister Andris Spruds over the affair. She said Latvia's anti-drone systems had not been deployed quickly enough to counter the drone intrusions.
Spruds's sacking prompted nine of his allies, fellow members of the left-wing Progressive party, to quit Silina's ruling coalition, alleging she had made him a scapegoat.
Spruds formally resigned on Monday and Salina proposed a military officer as his replacement but the Progressive party rejected him.
Their withdrawal left her government with just 41 seats in the 100-seat parliament and opposition parties said they would call a vote of confidence.
Silina, from the Unity party, had been prime minister since September 2023.
Announcing her resignation, she told a press conference: "The most important thing for me is the wellbeing of Latvians and the security of our country."
She added: "We are fully aware of the times we are all living in. The brutal war waged by Russia in Ukraine has changed the security situation throughout Europe."
President Edgars Rinkevics has said he will meet party leaders on Friday for talks on a new government.
Several Russian and Ukrainian drones have crashed in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A Ukrainian drone fell in Latvia on March 25.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian ports and energy facilities in the region in recent months.
The drone intrusions have not caused victims but they have exposed weaknesses in the Latvia's air defense system.
Following talks with Rinkevics at a summit in Bucharest on Wednesday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would send experts to Latvia to help with their air defenses.
Ukraine would also work with Latvia "to build a multi-layered air defense system against different types of threats", he said.
Rinkevics said a "long-term" air defense accord would be prepared.
