On 4 March 2022 in Brussels, Belgium, the European Union’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs held an extraordinary meeting to discuss further measures to be taken by the EU in response to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
In his remarks, the Latvian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, expressed support for increasing sanctions on Russia and Belarus over their aggression against Ukraine. He pointed out the need to achieve that Russia and Belarus are subject to the fullest possible international isolation. The Minister noted, that in regards to the implementation of the package of restrictive measures, close coordination must be sustained within the EU and with transatlantic partners. Meanwhile, it is no less important to continue providing all possible assistance to Ukraine. Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined that Latvia supported granting Ukraine EU candidate status.
Considering the disinformation spread by the Russian side, the EU together with like-minded partners must step up efforts to counter the narratives cultivated by Russia’s regime. According to the Latvian Foreign Minister, in that context it was important to try to ensure in cooperation with social network platforms that society in Russia has access to independent media.
To coordinate further steps in support of Ukraine and towards Russia’s international isolation, the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting was also joined by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth Truss, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada, Mélanie Joly. At the beginning of the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, addressed the ministers via video conference.