Hello and welcome to the GZero World podcast. This is where you can find extended versions of

my conversations on public television. I'm Ian Bremmer, and today I'm bringing you two very different

perspectives on Moscow's expansionist aims in Europe. First up, Latvia's foreign minister,

Biber Brazé. She's watching her nation's vulnerable 176-mile border with Russia.

The Baltic states are already facing increased deep-sea sabotage

and a barrage of cyber attacks by Moscow.

The Baltic spend more on defense as a proportion of their GDP

than most other NATO member nations, Latvia, for instance, went from spending just under 1% of its GDP on defense in 2014

to being on track to reach at least 5% by 2026.

That's a NATO number that would melt even U.S. President Donald Trump's heart.

But could Latvia be the next domino to fall if Putin looks beyond Ukraine's borders?

Then, we look to Moscow for a conversation with former Russian colonel and former Carnegie

Moscow Center director, Dmitri Trennan.

In the early 2000s, Trenum was known for his pro-Western stance, but as Putin consolidated

power, Trennan's views have fallen into alignment with the Kremlin.

I don't endorse his opinions, or anybody's for that matter, but I do think it's important

to hear candid views from the Russian perspective, especially at a time when the Trump

administration is more open than ever to that perspective, much to the chagrin of European allies.

So let's get to it. First up, here's Latvia's foreign minister, Biba Brissé.

Music For Mr. Braza, wonderful to have you on the show. Thank you so much for having me.

You and I were both at the Munich Security Conference.

There was, I would say, at least a sense of panic that the environment for Ukraine specifically

...