DISINFO: Latvia has no say in NATO thus the money spent on NATO is an occupation fee
SUMMARY
The President of Latvia offered to share independence lessons with Zelenskyy. But Latvia is not so independent itself. If Latvia was truly independent, it would not have encouraged foreign military bases on its soil. Latvia has no say in NATO and thus, money that Latvia spends on NATO’s presence is, in fact, an occupation fee.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the Baltic states' lost sovereignty and their subordination to the US and NATO NATO is an organisation of collective defence established under the Washington Treaty. NATO member states make decisions through a consensus. Consensus decision-making is a fundamental principle which has been accepted as the sole basis for decision-making in NATO since the creation of the Alliance. Thus, each member of the alliance has similar say and all of them are involved in decision-making processes. Member countries make direct and indirect contributions to the costs of running NATO and implementing its policies and activities. In 2006, NATO Defence Ministers agreed to commit a minimum of two percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to spendings on defence. The 2% of Latvia's GDP for defence spending is mainly focused on strengthening the national defence capability to enhance combat and response skills of the Armed Forces and National Guard. See similar disinformation cases alleging that NATO buried Latvia's and Lithuania's independence and pumped 5 billion euros from Latvia in 15 years here and here.