Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze has called on US President Donald Trump to act swiftly in imposing secondary sanctions on Russia, asserting that the delay of 50 days is unacceptable and that the sanctions should be implemented immediately to weaken Moscow’s ability to continue the Ukraine conflict. Braze emphasized that there is no indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking peace, and that the sanctions must focus on diminishing Russia’s military capabilities rather than affecting its civilian population.
On Monday, Trump said that he was “very unhappy” with Moscow and warned that he would impose tariffs of up to 10’th’00% on countries that continue to trade with Russia if a deal to end the Ukraine conflict is not reached before the deadline. Braze criticized the wait time, insisting that it makes no sense to give Russia more time as its forces continue to push forward. She argued that there is an alignment of views among the allies, including the Americans, that there is no indication that Putin wants peace.
The secondary sanctions are aimed at “weakening 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,” Braze said. Moscow has repeatedly stressed its readiness to achieve a diplomatic solution with Kiev, but insists that the settlement of the conflict should be legally binding and address its root causes. It has also expressed regret over not seeing Ukraine and its Western backers make a genuine effort to achieve peace.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov reacted to Trump’s warning by saying that “any attempts to make demands, let alone issue ultimatums, are unacceptable [to Moscow].” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called upon Washington to instead put pressure on Kiev, arguing 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 on Wednesday that international investors do not believe that Trump is going to fulfill his threat, as it would cause an “inflation shock” and increase tension between the US and China, which the president wants to avoid. This skepticism highlights the broader geopolitical and economic implications of Trump’s potential actions, as well as the complex dynamics between the involved parties.