Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has taken a cautious stance regarding the impact of Tuesday’s phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on achieving real peace in Ukraine.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday after his meeting with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity), Rinkēvičs noted that the peace process is complex, with both ups and downs.
He refrained from making definitive judgments about the outcome of the conversation, pointing out that the Kremlin had issued a statement emphasizing certain aspects—such as halting aid to Ukraine—which were later denied by the U.S. president.
The Latvian president stressed that shortly after the phone call, Ukraine was once again bombarded by Russia. In his view, the discussion should be considered just one element in the broader context.
“I believe that more talks will take place at various levels. We will see what the results will be. Based on what is happening now, I would not make any hasty or far-reaching conclusions,” Rinkēvičs stated.
As reported, Trump and Putin agreed in their phone conversation on a 30-day partial ceasefire in Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine, specifically covering attacks on energy and infrastructure facilities, according to the White House.
The Kremlin claimed that Putin had given an immediate order for Russian forces to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days.
At the same time, according to the Kremlin’s statement, Putin insisted that the war could only be ended if the West stopped supplying military aid and intelligence data to Ukraine. As a condition for a broader ceasefire, Putin also demanded an end to Ukraine’s military rearmament and the suspension of mandatory conscription.
Trump, however, denied on Tuesday that the issue of halting military aid to Ukraine had been discussed in his conversation with Putin.
In an interview with Fox News on The Ingraham Angle, Trump rejected claims made by Russian state media that Putin had set the cessation of Western military assistance as a condition for a general ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia carried out a large-scale drone attack on Wednesday night, causing damage to civilian infrastructure in multiple regions of Ukraine.
He emphasized that such actions by the Kremlin are a response to international peace initiatives and demonstrate Russia’s unwillingness to end the war. “Today, Putin has effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire,” Zelenskyy declared.
The Ukrainian president called on the international community to respond to Russia’s attacks with new sanctions, increased military aid, and strengthened security guarantees for Ukraine.