A fair and lasting peaceful solution must ensure that Russia cannot resume aggression against Ukraine, emphasized the Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who on Wednesday participated in an emergency meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga.
As reported to the LETA agency by the advisor to the minister, Signe Znotina-Znota, the meeting was convened by the EU High Representative, Kaia Kallas. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine together with the foreign ministers of Ukraine and EU countries, including after the negotiations between the leaders of the USA, Ukraine, and Europe on November 23, as well as after the high-level talks in Geneva. Additionally, the ministers reviewed the progress on the 20th round of EU sanctions.
Braže emphasized that Ukraine must participate in all negotiations and discussions regarding its future, and that its role is decisive in making any decisions. The Latvian Foreign Minister noted that the negotiations between the USA and Ukraine, as well as the involvement of European countries supporting the peaceful initiatives of US President Donald Trump, deserve positive recognition.
A fair and lasting peaceful solution must guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty, its strong, democratic, and sustainable development, as well as the right to independently determine its foreign policy and constitutional course, including possible accession to the EU and NATO, Braže emphasized. In her opinion, the aggressor can only be stopped through the strategy of 'peace through strength,' which implies maximum economic, military, and political pressure on Russia.
"There are currently no signs that Russia wants peace, as confirmed by its targeted and increasingly aggressive nighttime bombings of Ukrainian cities, which result in the deaths and injuries of innocent civilians, including children," Braže said.
She noted that Russia's goal is clear and unchanged: it wants to achieve through so-called peace negotiations what it has failed to accomplish on the battlefield - to destroy and subjugate Ukraine, to divide and weaken NATO, to alter the relations between Europe and the USA, and to reduce support for Ukraine. The Latvian Foreign Minister added that Russia will not succeed in this.
In conclusion, the Latvian Foreign Minister emphasized that Latvia, together with its allies, will continue to use all possible platforms and channels to provide diplomatic support to Ukraine.
