Russia’s current attacks on civilian energy infrastructure are “essentially approaching genocide,” Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said on Monday in an interview with LTV’s Rīta panorāma.
According to the president, Russia’s destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the harsh winter “amounts to yet more war crimes or, in effect, genocide.”
The politician assessed that a diplomatic solution to the war launched by Russia is not currently in sight, though he said he would be only glad to be proven wrong in this assessment.
Rinkēvičs reiterated that the main obstacle to achieving progress in peace or ceasefire talks is Russia,
which is evidently driven by the hope of fully subjugating Ukraine and therefore does not appear ready for compromises.
The Latvian president noted that Western countries still have leverage in this conflict, such as increased funding and deliveries to Ukraine, broader sanctions against Russia, and stronger diplomatic pressure.
As reported, Russia has been carrying out very intense attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this winter, regularly leaving hundreds of thousands of people without heating and electricity during severe cold. On the front line, Russia has not achieved any breakthrough successes.
Read also: BNN IN FOCUS | Latvia is facing a payment crisis, not an energy crisis – political scientist says