Latvia’s foreign minister has asserted that Russia’s capacity to sustain the conflict in Ukraine needs to be diminished.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze stated that US President Donald Trump should enact his promised secondary sanctions against Russia immediately, rather than waiting the stated 50-day period.
Trump had declared on Monday his “very unhappiness” with Moscow, threatening tariffs of up to 100% on nations continuing trade with Russia if no resolution to the Ukraine conflict is agreed upon by a specified deadline.
During an interview with Politico on Wednesday, Braze remarked about the US secondary sanctions, “It should be earlier.” She contended that granting Russia additional time is illogical given the ongoing advancement of its forces.
The foreign minister asserted, “Intelligence and overall assessments among allies, including the Americans, indicate no sign that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin desires peace.”
She urged that the United States and its allies must immediately exert pressure on Moscow to compel its return to negotiations.
Braze explained that the secondary sanctions intend to “weaken Russia’s ability to conduct warfare. It is not about the Russian people. It’s about the Russian war fighting capacity and what they are doing on the battlefield, that all needs to be weakened.”
Moscow has consistently affirmed its willingness for a diplomatic resolution with Kiev, though it maintains that any conflict settlement must be legally binding and address underlying issues. Furthermore, it has voiced disappointment over what it perceives as a lack of sincere peace efforts from Ukraine and its Western supporters.
In response to Trump’s warning, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that “any attempts to make demands, let alone issue ultimatums, are unacceptable [to Moscow].” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, urged Washington to pressure Kiev instead, asserting that “the Ukrainian side takes all statements of support [from the West] as signals to continue war, not as signals for peace.”
The Economist reported Wednesday that global investors are skeptical Trump will carry out his threat, anticipating it would trigger an “inflation shock” and heighten US-China tensions, which the president aims to prevent.