Official Riga reacted to the announcement by the United States about the imposition of sanctions against the two largest Russian oil companies – 'Rosneft' and 'Lukoil'.
The statement was made by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, who has returned from vacation.
"The introduction of tough sanctions by President Trump against major Russian oil companies is a very timely and necessary step. A package of EU sanctions will follow soon. We must continue to impose costs on Russia’s war economy. The next step should be the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine," Rinkēvičs wrote on X.
What is surprising in this message is the use of the evaluative adjective 'timely' – the sanctions were introduced three and a half years after the start of the war in Ukraine and almost a year after Trump took office as President of the United States.
According to Rinkēvičs, it seems that the fact that 'Rosneft' and 'Lukoil' traded oil for over three years amid military actions is normal. And only in October 2025 did the time come to impose sanctions against these companies. Why not earlier?
However, it is obvious that any action by Trump will be recognized in Eastern Europe as timely, necessary, admirable, breathtaking, and overflowing with positive emotions. Hail forever, Mr. Trump!
