THE RĪGA CONFERENCE 2026
THE MAIN CONFERENCE PROGRAM
SEPTEMBER 10th, 2026
13:00
Registration & coffee
14:00
Opening Session
Master of Ceremonies: Anna Ūdre, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Consultant, Deep White
Opening Remarks by H.E. Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of the Republic of Latvia
Asserting Agency in a Changing World: What Role for Diplomacy?
Europe must learn to navigate an increasingly volatile international environment, marked by escalating and overlapping conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, global economic instability, and growing violations of international law. At the same time, democracies around the world face mounting pressure across a broad spectrum of threats from drone attacks, sabotage and cyber-attacks to foreign interference and other forms of sub-conventional activity. What role can diplomacy play in a world increasingly defined by strategic competition and the erosion of the rules-based international order? Which foreign policy instruments can democracies leverage beyond military power to protect and advance their core interests? And is a return to effective multilateralism still possible- and, if so, in what form?
14:30
Plenary Session
- H.E. Baiba Braže, Minister of the Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia
- H.E. Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway
- Radmila Shekerinska, NATO Deputy Secretary General
- Moderator: Peter Rough, Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe, Hudson Institute
15:30
Coffee break
Bringing Ukraine’s Warfighting Knowledge into NATO
Ukraine has demonstrated how a determined nation can hold back a larger military power through rapid adaptation, technological innovation, and close cooperation between its armed forces and Defence industry.
This panel will assess whether NATO is learning from Ukraine's wartime experience quickly enough and how these lessons are being integrated into the Alliance's Defence planning process, force development, and warfighting concepts. To what extent have recent NATO summit decisions accelerated the adoption of Ukraine's most effective military innovations and operational practices?
The discussion will examine which lessons from Ukraine are most critical for enhancing NATO's combat effectiveness, resilience, and readiness for future conflicts. What reforms are still needed to improve the Alliance's ability to innovate, adapt, and scale new capabilities rapidly? How can NATO strengthen cooperation with industry, accelerate technological adoption, and build the resilience required to prevail in a long-term, high-intensity conflict?
16:00
- Raivis Melnis, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia
- Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
- Sebastian Hartmann, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry of Defence, Federal Republic of Germany
- Lt. Gen. Sébastien Vallette, Deputy Director-General for International Relations and Strategy, Ministry for the Armed Forces and Veterans, France
- Moderator: Anca Agachi, Defence Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation
17:00
Coffee break
The EU’s Place in The World
The European Union is entering a period in which geopolitical competition, economic uncertainty and security challenges increasingly converge. Its influence has long rested on trade, diplomacy, economic integration and a commitment to international law, but these instruments are increasingly being tested by power politics, contested rules and the strategic use of interdependence. The EU’s global credibility will depend on maintaining internal cohesion and translating it into decisive external action. The success of further EU enlargement will depend, in part, on its ability to link sustained support for Ukraine and its reconstruction to a path towards membership. It must also balance openness with the need to limit critical dependencies and protect its economic interests. Can the EU preserve its distinctive principles while becoming a more decisive geopolitical actor? Where should enlargement and Ukraine’s accession process stand by 2030? And how can Europe strengthen its economic security without undermining the openness and international cooperation on which its prosperity and influence depend?
17:30
Fireside Chat
- Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity at the European Commission
- Moderator: Artjoms Uršuļskis, Head of the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia
Ukraine’s Future as a Pillar of European Security
Ukraine has emerged as an indispensable contributor to European security, drawing on its cutting-edge defence technologies, capacity for innovation and unparalleled battlefield experience. The lessons developed under conditions of full-scale war are already reshaping how European states approach defence production, technological adaptation and preparedness for future threats. Yet its immediate security needs remain urgent, as Russia continues its ballistic missile strikes against critical infrastructure, with the coming winter placing further pressure on Ukraine’s energy system and civilian resilience. Sustained assistance is therefore essential not only to Ukraine’s survival, but also to the security and resilience of Europe as a whole. At the same time, Ukraine’s future will be shaped not only by the terms on which the war ends, but also by the political, security and economic settlement that follows. A durable peace must safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty and right to determine its own future, be underpinned by credible security commitments and sufficient defence capabilities and establish a clear path towards European integration and long-term recovery.
18:00
Plenary Session
Special Conversation with Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
- Ian Bond, Deputy Director of the Centre for European Reform
- Lina Rukštelienė, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania
- Moderator: Yaroslav Trofimov, Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent of The Wall Street Journal
19:00
Dinner Hosted by the Chancery of the President of the Republic of Latvia
Venue: Ceremonial Hall, Riga Castle
NIGHT OWLS SESSIONS
Sessions held under the “Chatham House Rule”
Winning the Future fight: NATO’s Theory of Victory
The threats NATO faces today are no longer distant hypotheticals. They are immediate, complex, and evolving at a relentless pace. Recent NATO summits have marked important milestones in strengthening the Alliance's deterrence and Defence posture. Yet a fundamental question remains: have these decisions provided a coherent strategy for winning a future high-intensity conflict and what is the NATO’s theory of victory?
This panel will examine the technological, operational, and organizational capabilities NATO must develop to deter, fight, and prevail against a peer adversary. Drawing on lessons from contemporary conflicts, the discussion will explore the operational adaptations NATO must integrate into its future military strategy.
Key questions include: How should NATO adapt its force structure, command architecture, and operational concepts to reflect the realities of modern warfare? How effectively NATO is dealing with different threats and forms of grey-zone activity based on its 360-degree security approach? How can NATO apply the principles of maneuver warfare in an era increasingly defined by persistent surveillance and autonomous systems? Finally, on what foundations should NATO build its resilience to sustain military operations, absorb strategic shocks, and prevail in a prolonged conflict?
21:00
Night Owls Session
- Lt. Gen. Kaspars Pudāns, Chief of Defence of the Republic of Latvia
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Lt. Gen. John Mead, Deputy Commander of the Joint Force Command Brunssum
- David M. Cattler, Senior Fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
- Moderator: Judy Dempsey, Nonresident Senior Fellow at Carnegie Europe
Everything Everywhere All at Once: Democracies Confronting Hybrid Threats
Hybrid threats rarely take the form of a single dramatic attack. They unfold simultaneously across physical, digital, economic and information domains- through a damaged cable, a cyberattack, a compromised supplier, an unexplained drone or a targeted influence operation. Each incident may appear too limited or ambiguous to justify a decisive response, yet together they can erode trust, weaken resilience and gradually narrow a democracy’s choices. The challenge is both temporal and institutional: democracies tend to investigate incidents separately and through different authorities, while adversaries connect them into coordinated campaigns designed to mature over months or years. How can patterns and strategic intent be recognised before ambiguity becomes an advantage? How do artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and critical dependencies reshape hybrid threats? And what must governments, businesses and societies change today to confront threats that are emerging everywhere, across multiple domains, and often all at once?
21:00
Night Owls Session
- Juhan Lepassaar, Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity
- Jānis Sārts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
- Airis Rikveilis, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia
- Peter Sarlin, Founder and Chair, NestAI & Qutwo
- Masakazu Takamori, President and CEO, JNI
- Moderator: Samantha de Bendern, Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House
THE RĪGA CONFERENCE 2026
THE MAIN CONFERENCE PROGRAM
SEPTEMBER 11th, 2026
9:00
Registration & Coffee
Two Years from The Draghi Report: The State of EU’s Competitiveness
Europe must pursue four costly transformations at once: restore competitiveness, build technological capacity, finance defence and preserve fiscal and political stability. Investment, regulatory simplification and support for European companies and AI start-ups promise greater autonomy, yet also raise transatlantic questions about market access, industrial preference and fair competition. Safe loans, eastern-flank initiatives and cross-border flagship projects could translate new defence spending into lasting European capacity. But Member States enter this transition with widely different debt levels, industrial strengths and room for fiscal manoeuvre. Which investments will genuinely increase Europe’s ability to act? How should costs and opportunities be shared across the Union and the Atlantic? And can Europe convert higher spending into growth, resilience and security before economic strain and populist politics begin to narrow its choices?
10:00
Plenary Session
- Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity at the European Commission
- Amb. Andrew Puzder, US Ambassador to the EU
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Garance Pineau, Head of International Affairs & Investment Banking Advisor, ODDO BHF
- Peter Sarlin, Founder and Chair, NestAI & Qutwo
- Moderator: Rebecca Christie, Senior Fellow at Bruegel
11:00
Coffee break
Preparing for Russia Remade by War
War is no longer merely an instrument of the Russian state. It has become the system through which the state governs. The government, industry, church, media, culture – all resources and instruments of power are geared toward the machinery of war, while repression at home and hostility towards Europe have become entrenched as the status quo. Meanwhile, dependence on China is simultaneously extending Moscow’s endurance and narrowing its strategic freedom. The central question therefore extends beyond Putin’s next move or length Putin’s rule. Rather it should be asked- what kind of Russia is the war producing, and how durable is it? Can economic pressure or elite frustration alter the Kremlin’s calculations? And what scenarios should Europe prepare for in dealing with a Russia remade by war?
11:30
Plenary Session
- Alexander Gabuev, Director, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
- Rihards Kols, Member of the European Parliament
- Vladimir Milov, Russian Opposition Politician
- Moderator: Elizaveta Fokht, Senior Reporter, BBC News Russian
12:30
Lunch break
The New Geography of Power: Shaping a Contested Global Order
Global power is no longer defined primarily and only by military reach or formal alliances. It is also exercised through control over critical chokepoints, technological ecosystems, financial infrastructure, resources, trade corridors, data and standards. States with growing economic and technological weight are seeking greater influence within established institutions while constructing alternatives where existing arrangements constrain their ambitions. The result is not a simple transfer of power from West to East, but a more plural, transactional and contested distribution of power. In this environment, multilateralism is becoming both more necessary and more contested, as institutions must accommodate a wider range of interests while preserving their capacity for collective action. How strategic interdependence reshaping statecraft is, how economic-security policies can strengthen resilience without accelerating fragmentation? Which sources of power will prove decisive over the coming decade? Can strategic competition be managed without hardening into rival blocs? And what basis remains for collective action when states increasingly disagree not only over the rules, but also over who possesses the legitimacy to define them?
13:30
Plenary Session
- H.E. Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Dhaheri, Deputy Director General, Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy
- Dr. Stanislav Raščan, Deputy Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia
- Elisabeth Braw, Director, Modern Deterrence Project, RUSI
- Aaron MacLean, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute
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Amb. Peter Vrooman, Deputy Commander for Civil-Military Engagement for U.S. Africa Command
- Moderator: Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa Čerenkova, Director of the Latvian Institute of International Affairs
14:30
Coffee break
Vox Populi? The Rise of Populism and Changing Political Identity of Europe
Voter behaviour across Europe is shifting away from stable party loyalties toward politics driven by insecurity, identity, and distrust of institutions. Government across the continent are grappling with the fundamental reforms needed to address a growing sense of helplessness in large portions of society and regain trust. These changes are reshaping how citizens relate to democracy, representation, their own states governments and the European project itself, with visible consequences for political stability and policy coherence. Is Europe experiencing a temporary wave of electoral protest- or a lasting redefinition of its political identity? And how will these changing electorates shape Europe’s ability to govern, integrate, and act strategically in an increasingly contested world? Should populist elements be included in mainstream politics and if so, how? What are strategies and policy responses to the risks of populism?
15:00
Plenary Session
- Dr. Rosa Balfour, Director of Carnegie Europe
- Dr. Edit Zgut-Przybylska, Founder and Head of REWIRE
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Iveta Kažoka, Guest Editor of Satori
- Moderator: Maria Tadeo, Chief Europe Editor, Euronews
The Price of Dignity: When Sport Cannot Remain Silent
At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Vladyslav Heraskevych sought to compete wearing a “Helmet of Memory” honouring Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed in Russia’s war. His refusal to remove it and his subsequent disqualification turned a sporting decision into a wider debate about remembrance; moral courage and the limits placed on athletes’ expression. For an athlete representing a country under attack, the boundary between sport and politics is neither abstract nor easily drawn. What is personal cost of his decision, the responsibility of athletes to bear witness, and the place of human memory within international sport? Can sport remain neutral when war destroys athletes and entire sporting communities? Where does political expression end and remembrance begin? And what is the price of participation when silence becomes one of its conditions?
16:00
- Vladyslav Heraskevych, Ukrainian Skeleton Racer
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Moderator: Anna Ūdre, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Consultant, Deep White
16:30
Closing Remarks by Jānis Karlsbergs, Head of the Board of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation
18:00