Latvian President urges to transfer EUR 300 bln of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has called on Europe to make a decision to transfer about EUR 300 billion of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.
If Europe really wants to change something, it should approve a transfer of EUR 300 billion from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, he said at the panel discussion "Ukraine: The Road Ahead" on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos Thursday, adding that this decision would help to solve the issue of supporting Ukraine, send a very clear message to Russia, and show how Russia can be forces to sit at the negotiating table.
Rinkevics admitted that at the moment "we are not even close to any real discussion" of a peace agreement as Russia is not willing to sit at the negotiating table. He also noted that yesterday's statement by U.S. President Donald Trump shows that without Russia recognizing the need to start negotiations, there will be no process.
The Latvian President also said that the Russian troops are likely to continue to advance and urged partners to continue to provide Ukraine with military, economic, financial assistance, as well as to strengthen sanctions against Russia.
What the mechanism of the peace agreement will look like is a big question, he emphasized, adding that Ukraine should play an important role in this discussion and Europe should be part of it.
