Latvian Foreign Minister Urges Trump to Sanction Russia

(MENAFN) Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze has urged US President Donald Trump to swiftly follow through on his threat to impose secondary sanctions on Russia, emphasizing that waiting the full 50-day period is unnecessary.

During remarks on Monday, Trump stated he was “very unhappy” with Moscow and cautioned that he would introduce tariffs as high as 100% on nations that continue economic dealings with Russia, should an agreement to halt the Ukraine conflict not be reached by the set deadline.

In an interview with a news outlet published Wednesday, Braze criticized the delay, suggesting, “It should be earlier,” regarding the implementation of US secondary sanctions.

She contended that affording Russia additional time was illogical, especially as its military operations persist.

According to the Latvian diplomat, “The intel and overall assessment have been aligned among the allies, including the Americans, that there is no indication that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants peace.”

She emphasized that unified international pressure must be applied immediately to coerce Moscow back into dialogue.

Braze clarified that the objective of the secondary sanctions is “weakening Russia’s ability to conduct warfare,” noting that these measures target the Kremlin’s military operations and not its citizens.

“It’s about the Russian war fighting capacity and what they are doing on the battlefield, that all needs to be weakened,” she affirmed.

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