On 22 May 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, took part in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union in Brussels, at which the Member States exchanged views on the Russian aggression against Ukraine, on the Horn of Africa, as well as Western Balkans.
In a discussion at the Council on the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined the importance of military support. “The EU must provide military support to Ukrainian armed forces in their fight against Russia’s armed aggression. Ukraine’s military needs must be met as soon as possible, on a broad scale and in the long term. Therefore, Latvia fully supports further increase of the European Peace Facility’s overall financial ceiling by 3.5 billion euros,” the Foreign Minister pointed out. At the same time, Edgars Rinkēvičs noted that the European Peace Facility should remain as a global tool continuing to also aid other regions, including African countries.
Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined that it was critical to ensure funding for the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) to match the overall ambition of the mission, including through handing over the needed military equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces after the completion of training of Ukrainian military personnel.
While addressing the issue of sanctions against Russia, the Foreign Minister called for the adoption of the 11th sanctions package as soon as possible. Edgars Rinkēvičs also noted that tougher measures should be taken against attempts to circumvent sanctions. “Circumvention of sanctions remains one of the major issues, especially with risks in trade through third countries. Therefore, the EU needs to send a strong and unequivocal signal to third countries that the circumvention of sanctions will not be tolerated, Edgars Rinkēvičs emphasised.
The Minister also urged against delay in the adoption of new sanctions on Belarus, as well as reaching an agreement on the sanctioning of persons co-responsible for the persecution of the opposition politician, journalist, author and historian, Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Within the framework of the Foreign Affairs Council, Edgars Rinkēvičs participated in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Baltic States and Poland, which addressed issues related to the security of the region and featured a discussion on preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius.