EU should be ready to tighten sanctions against Russia - Latvian foreign minister

He said this at a joint briefing with the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Estonia and Lithuania following their talks in Kyiv on Thursday, April 15, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

Rinkevics said he was confident that Russia's military aggression against Ukraine could not be tolerated by the international community and that the violation of the Ukrainian border was absolutely unacceptable in accordance with international law and the principles of the UN and other international organizations.

He expressed hope that efforts being made by the leaders of many countries to deter Russia from aggressive actions against Ukraine would be effective and expressed support for the actions of partners in this area.

"But if that doesn't work, then we need to use the strongest tools in the EU's arsenal, such as sectoral sanctions. […] I think that's what the EU needs to be prepared for," Rinkevics said.

He also stressed that Russia was fully responsible for the current escalation.

"I want to emphasize that we are not calling on both sides to de-escalate. […] At the moment, there is only one side that should de-escalate its actions – it's the Russian Federation," he said.

The foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are on a joint working visit to Ukraine on April 15 at the invitation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to demonstrate their solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russia's destabilizing actions.

Russia continues to deploy its strike units near Ukraine's borders, with the Russian media launching an information campaign of lies and provocations to discredit Ukraine and justify Russia's military intervention.

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