Krišjānis Kariņš

Krišjānis Kariņš was Prime Minister of Latvia from January 2019 to September 2023.  He led his country through a banking crisis, the Covid pandemic, the hybrid migration attack from Belarus, and the first two years of Russia’s all-out war of aggression against Ukraine.  After passing the torch of government leadership to a party colleague, he served as Foreign Minister until April of 2024.  He reached the NATO defence spending target of 2% GDP with his first budget, and advanced purchases of air and coastal defence as well as rocket artillery, while overseeing the reinstitution of compulsory military service.  His political career dates to 2002, when he co-founded the anti-corruption party (New Era) and was elected to Parliament.  He then served as Minister of Economy 2004-2006.  In 2009, he was elected to the European Parliament and served for 10 years.