Prior to becoming president, Rinkēvičs had representedLatvian Way,Reform Party, and theUnity party since May 2014. He left Unity after being elected president as it is customarily expected in Latvia for presidents to maintain political neutrality.
In 1993 and 1994, Rinkēvičs worked as a journalist reporting on foreign policy and international relations atLatvian Radio, while still studying.[6] In 1995, he took the job as senior referent in the Policy Department of theMinistry of Defence, a role he held until March 1996, when he became acting leader of the Policy Department, a role he occupied until September the same year, when he was made acting Deputy Secretary of State for Defence.[7] In May 1997, he became acting Secretary of State for Defence, before becoming the main Secretary of State for Defence in August 1997, a role he possessed until October 2008.[7]
Rinkēvičs with Japanese Minister of Foreign AffairsToshimitsu Motegi, 2 July 2021
Between 1998 and 2004, Rinkēvičs was a member of theLatvian Way party.[7] In February 1998, he became involved in discussion on the US-Baltic Partnership Charter, and from 2002 to 2003 was a member of the Latvian delegation negotiating accession toNATO as Latvia's Deputy Head of Delegation. In 2008, he was appointed as Head of the Chancery of the President of Latvia, a role he held until July 2011.[7] In October of the same year, Rinkēvičs joinedValdis Dombrovskis'third cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Initially anindependent, he joined theZatlers' Reform Party in January 2012.[8] In May 2014, Rinkēvičs joined theUnity party.[9]
Rinkēvičs with U.S. Secretary of StateAntony Blinken, 7 March 2022
On 20 November 2023, he visited Israel to express solidarity with the country during theGaza war.[14]
On 15 December 2023, Rinkēvičs met with Canadian Minister of DefenceBill Blair in theRiga Castle to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas ofdefence and security policy.[15]
On August 5, 2025, Rinkevičs welcomed Israeli presidentIsaac Herzog on his state visit to Latvia and stated that Latvia is not consideringrecognizing Palestine.[16] On August 28, Rinkēvičs met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of PalestineVarsen Aghabekian.[17]
After theSaeima passed a bill on October 30 for Latvia to withdraw from theIstanbul Convention, Rinkēvičs pledged to assess the decision by "taking into account state and legal, rather than ideological or political considerations".[18] He subsequently requested a second review of the law by the Saeima, citing unresolved legal, procedural, and international concerns: namely, that the withdrawal lacked proper preparatory work, reflected insufficient cooperation between thelegislature andexecutive, and that ratifying and then denouncing the Convention within a single Saeima term sends a contradictory message that could undermine Latvia's credibility and commitments to human rights within theEuropean Union andCouncil of Europe.[19]
Personal life
On 6 November 2014, he publicly announced on hisTwitter profile that he isgay,[20][21] making him the first lawmaker in Latvia to announce his homosexuality. Upon election as the president of Latvia in 2023, Rinkēvičs became the first openly gay head of state in an EU country and the first ever openly gay president of any state.[b][22][1] In addition toLatvian, he is fluent inEnglish,Russian, andFrench.
In May 2023, Rinkēvičs stated that he is "single", has no romantic partner, and refused to further elaborate on his private life.[23]
Rinkēvičs has said that despite some progress,LGBT people still face serious rights violations in many countries, and expressed support for global efforts todecriminalize LGBT, stressing that it is about universalhuman rights, not imposingWestern values. Citing cases likeChechnya, he warned of worsening persecution and torture of LGBT people and called on theinternational community to use all available diplomatic and bilateral tools to strengthencivil society, protect human rights, and eliminate all forms ofdiscrimination.[24] In an interview with Latvian news portalDelfi, Latvian drag queen and LGBTQ+ activist Rojs Rodžers stated that he wanted that Rinkēvičs be "a little braver" on LGBTQ+ rights issues and that he was "more on side being dissappointed" that Rinkēvičs has not participated in Pride events.[25]
In January 2025, Rinkēvičs stated in interview withChannel 4 News that in his opinion the discussions aroundtrans rights, at some point, "went probably too far to one extreme" and expressed hope that "it’s not going to go too far to the other extreme".[26]
^Rinkēvičs is the first openly LGBT head of state to hold the title of president.Paolo Rondelli, who held the post ofCaptain Regent of San Marino in 2022, was the first openly LGBT head of state of any country.
^MissionArchived 1 May 2023 at theWayback Machine, The Eisenhower School, National Defense University, United States Department of Defense, Fort McNair, Washington, District of Columbia, accessed 6 February 2015.
^"World's first openly-gay president on Trump's LGBTQ stance".Channel 4 News. 22 January 2025. Retrieved27 October 2025.I think that there is a big difference here, and that is where I have also had the discussion back home about how far do you respect transgender people's rights. I do see that probably at some point this discussion went probably too far to one extreme. Now, I do hope it's not going to go too far to the other extreme.
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