Latest news with #BaibaBraze
Russia Today
6 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
NATO state urges Trump to sanction Russia immediately
US President Donald Trump should make good on his threat to impose secondary sanctions on Russia without waiting 50 days, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze has said. On Monday, Trump said that he was 'very unhappy' with Moscow and warned that he would impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that continue to trade with Russia if a deal to end the Ukraine conflict is not reached before the deadline. 'It should be earlier,' Braze said of the US secondary sanctions during her interview with Politico on Wednesday. It makes no sense to give Russia more time as its forces continue to push forward, she argued. 'The intel and overall assessment have been aligned among the allies, including the Americans, that there is no indication that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants peace,' the foreign minister claimed. The US and its allies must put pressure on Moscow now to return to the negotiating table, she insisted. The secondary sanctions are aimed at 'weakening Russia's ability to conduct warfare. It is not about the Russian people. It's about the Russian war fighting capacity and what they are doing on the battlefield, that all needs to be weakened,' Braze said. Moscow has repeatedly stressed its readiness to achieve a diplomatic solution with Kiev, but insists that the settlement of the conflict should be legally binding and address its root causes. It has also expressed regret over not seeing Ukraine and its Western backers make a genuine effort to achieve peace. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov reacted to Trump's warning by saying that 'any attempts to make demands, let alone issue ultimatums, are unacceptable [to Moscow].' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called upon Washington to instead put pressure on Kiev, arguing that 'the Ukrainian side takes all statements of support [from the West] as signals to continue war, not as signals for peace.' The Economist reported on Wednesday that international investors do not believe that Trump is going to fulfill his threat, as it would cause an 'inflation shock' and increase tension between the US and China, which the president wants to avoid.
Bloomberg
25-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Latvian Foreign Minister on NATO Defense Spending Goals
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze discusses NATO defense spending goals as allies gather in The Hague and Secretary General Mark Rutte pushes member states to increase defense budgets to 5% of GDP. (Source: Bloomberg)
Canada News.Net
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Council of Europe censures EU state for treatment of Russian speakers
Latvia's naturalization procedures for non-citizens could "fuel negative sentiment towards ethnic Russians," a recent report has suggested The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has reported an increase in hate speech targeting Russian speakers in Latvia in recent years, suggesting that the naturalization procedures in the EU state for non-citizens could "fuel negative sentiment." After Latvia gained independence in 1991, a large proportion of residents originating from other parts of the Soviet Union (predominantly Russians), even those who were born in the Baltic state, were issued "non-citizen" passports, which barred them from voting or working in certain jobs. The resulting ethnic division within the population was only made worse by the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, when Latvia and its Baltic neighbors stepped up their efforts to combat Moscow's perceived influence. Riga has implemented travel restrictions targeting Russian citizens and introduced a mandatory Latvian language test for long-term residents of foreign origin. Thousands who have failed or refused to take the exam have been deported. The Kremlin has denounced the measures as "blatant discrimination." In a report published on Thursday, the European Commission stated that since February 2022, there has been a notable spike in hate speech on Latvian internet sites directed at local Russian speakers. According to the document, local authorities may be fueling this animosity with their policies. The EU watchdog singled out the country's rigorous naturalization procedures, particularly the Latvian language tests that resident non-citizens have to take if they wish to acquire citizenship in the Baltic EU member state if they were born before 1991. The report urged Riga to take "due account of individual circumstances and [provide] support as appropriate," when conducting such tests. The commission noted that as of June 2024, only 54% of applicants had passed language proficiency tests, raising concerns over the threat of forced deportation facing those who failed. The ECRI also cited complaints it had received from the Russian-speaking community in Latvia regarding the local government's decision to phase out their native language from school curriculums by 2025. The watchdog stressed that Russians, who comprise 24% of the general population in Latvia, constitute the largest ethnic minority in the country. Earlier this month, a Latvian lawmaker who is an ethnic Russian was removed from a parliamentary session for uttering a few sentences in his mother tongue during proceedings. Aleksey Roslikov of the For Stability! Party spoke out against what he described as the growing marginalization of Russian speakers in Latvia. In latte May, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze called on EU member states to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens, citing an alleged threat to the bloc's security. Moscow has criticized Riga's measures targeting Russian speakers as "blatant discrimination," with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warning that Moscow could file a complaint against Latvia at the International Court of Justice.
Korea Herald
04-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Five countries win seats on UN Security Council
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Five countries won seats on the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday in uncontested elections and will start serving two-year terms in January on the UN's most powerful but deeply divided body. The 193-member General Assembly held a secret-ballot vote for the five rotating seats on the 15-member council. Bahrain received 186 votes, Congo 183 votes, Liberia 181 votes, Colombia 180 votes and Latvia 178 votes. This will be the first time on the council for Latvia, which was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union and gained independence again after its collapse in 1991. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze told reporters after the vote her Baltic nation is ready for the responsibility, saying, 'Our historical experience puts us in the position to understand, empathize with, and forge partnerships across every region in the world.' 'We know the value of freedom,' she said. 'We know the fragility of peace and the power of multilateralism to safeguard it.' Braze said Latvia will spare no effort to achieve just and lasting peace in Ukraine and to alleviate suffering in the Middle East, Gaza, Africa and other conflicts around the globe. Bahrain will be the Arab representative on the council, and Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said his country's election to the council for a second time reinforces its determination to be 'a proactive contributor" to international peace and security. 'Our goal is to fortify peace and stability within our region,' Al Zayani said, stressing that resolving the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict is 'the cornerstone for achieving peace in the region.' The immediate requirement, he said, is a ceasefire and massive influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the release of all hostages taken from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and progress toward a two-state solution and 'a viable state of Palestine.' The Security Council is mandated in the UN Charter with ensuring international peace and security, but it has failed in the two major conflicts because of the veto power of Russia on Ukraine and the US, Israel's closest ally, on Gaza. There have been decades of efforts to reform the Security Council to reflect the geopolitical realities of the world in 2025, not of the post-World War II era 80 years ago, when the United Nations was established. But they have all failed. The council still includes five veto-wielding permanent members — the US, Russia, China, Britain and France — and 10 elected members from the UN's different regional groups. One major failing is the absence of a permanent seat for Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean. Under its current rules, five new council members are elected every year. In January, the newly elected countries will replace Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia. Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner of Congo, which will be serving its third term on the council, told the council its election not only reflects confidence in her country, 'it is also a reflection of Africa's unity and its rightful place in shaping the global peace and security agenda.' Asked about the ongoing fighting by armed groups in the country's mineral-rich east, she said Congo will bring to the council the knowledge of dealing with decades of conflict, the challenges of UN peacekeeping operations and protecting civilians, and 'the convergence between conflict, natural resources, and environmental changes.' Liberia's Deputy Foreign Minister Deweh Gray, whose country was last on the council in 1961, said her country has 'an unwavering resolve to make a difference for all' and to tackle the formidable challenges facing the world including conflict, inequality and climate change, 'to name a few.' 'Liberia's vote is a vote for Africa,' she said, 'and we shall ensure that we follow the African common position.' Colombia's UN Ambassador Leonor Zalabata urged all countries to unite and 'keep working together in harmony with nature to preserve what we have and build peace in the world.' And she said, 'We invite you all to keep working in the path of human rights.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Latvia joins UN Security Council for first time
Latvia was elected on June 3 to the United Nations Security Council for the first time in its history. Along with four other countries – Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Liberia – Latvia will serve a two-year term, beginning in January 2026, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Reacting to the vote, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze called it a "historic day for Latvia." "We are honored by the trust placed in us and ready to take on this responsibility to defend the rules-based international order," she wrote on the exception of Latvia – which is taking a seat on the council for the first time – all the elected countries have previously served. The newly elected countries will take the place of Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia, whose terms will end in December 2025. They will join the five non-permanent members that were elected last year – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia. The UN Security Council is the main UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It is composed of 15 members, including five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The permanent members hold veto power. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has repeatedly used its veto power to block resolutions concerning its actions in Ukraine. Latvia, a vocal critic of Russia, has consistently pushed for stronger Western support for Ukraine. The Baltic nation has been a steadfast ally of Ukraine – it recently delivered 1,500 combat drones to Ukraine and has committed providing military support at the level of 0.25% of its GDP every has also urged the European Union to adopt tougher measures against Russia, including an EU-wide ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens. Read also: Ukrainian delegation arrives in US to discuss defense support, Russia sanctions We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
