Observing the increasingly threatening concentration of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, Latvian officials are also concerned that large-scale hostilities could resume in eastern Ukraine. However, Latvian diplomats also point out that attitudes towards it are quite different among Western countries.
Analyzing the concentration of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border in recent weeks, Latvian officials do not hide their concern that Russia is doing everything to prepare – to act quickly at the convenient time to attack Ukraine.
Read more: The Pentagon is asking Russia to explain the concentration of its troops on the Ukrainian border
“Ukraine is currently besieged on three sides by serious troops. We are seeing the construction of military hospitals, the refueling, and there are a number of signals here: Russia is preparing itself militarily so that it can act quickly in a situation that is favorable to it. It’s a challenge glove for the new US president to see how far they are prepared to go, “said Defense Minister Artis Pabriks (AP).
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs (JV) also agrees, noting that the international community is watching with concern what is happening near Ukraine and also in the separatist-controlled areas: These people die from snipers, and this is nothing clearer than targeted provocations. These tensions are growing, and we are not yet in a position to predict exactly what the goal is – whether to put pressure on Ukraine to make concessions, or whether it is being prepared as an aggressive attack. “
Meanwhile, the Minister of Defense criticizes Europe’s passive actions in the current situation: It is so funny and bitter to watch the West fall that something does not happen that we do not provoke anything. That is what is provoking me: my call is to invite Europeans to come to mind. ”
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister has been invited to a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels at the end of April to discuss the worrying situation in the region. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on NATO to speed up the country’s accession to the Alliance, emphasizing that this is the only way to put an end to hostilities in Eastern Ukraine. Latvian officials do not hide that Ukraine still has a long way to go before joining the alliance, but both NATO and the European Union have the tools to send signals that Ukraine is not alone.
“If it is a new aggression, then talk about broad economic sanctions against Russia – it must be a heavy economic price. Within NATO, we discussed the possibility of granting Ukraine an action plan for NATO membership, which Latvia once went through. In our view, taking such a step on the part of NATO would be a clear signal that Ukraine will not be left alone, that Ukraine will be supported. There are also members of NATO who have expressed who will support with military supplies, ”Rinkēvičs points out.
Meanwhile, Moscow continues to accuse Kiev of “provocations” in eastern Ukraine and has warned NATO not to interfere and not send troops to support Ukraine.-
“If you look at Russia’s propaganda channels and all the propaganda tools, its anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western propaganda hysteria reaches new levels. If the sovereign leadership of Ukraine asks for support from the world community, then it will be our decision on how to support it, and we will not listen to instructions from the Kremlin, ”says the Latvian Foreign Minister.
Meanwhile, foreign policy researcher Andris Sprūds is more inclined to think that Russia is demonstrating to the world in this way that Moscow is and will remain a leader in the region: “We see such heavy metal diplomacy Russian diplomacy, where Russia shows that it will not allow any change in Donbass. “
Commenting on the rather silent reaction from the European Union, Sprud believes that this shows that Europe is more vulnerable than the US, which has clearly warned Russia not to intimidate Ukraine: Germany must try to talk to all parties involved. It is a classic European position that is not surprising, which shows in part Europe’s weakness, and, of course, it is also not a US power that can react much more clearly and expressively. “
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers have reported hundreds of ceasefire violations in Kremlin-funded separatist-controlled areas over the past few weeks. Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers have been shot dead in eastern Ukraine since mid-February.
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