Rinkēvičs: Peace Through Diplomacy Impossible While Russia Hopes to Win

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has shared his assessment of the current state of the war in Ukraine, noting that the situation on the front lines has changed dramatically over the past year. A year ago, the conflict was nearly at a stalemate, but now Ukraine is gradually regaining the initiative, while Russia is suffering significantly higher troop losses than before. However, Ukraine's gains are not yet strategically significant, though the trend is moving in that direction.

According to Rinkēvičs, a possible diplomatic process has emerged following the US president's announcement, but Russia's stance remains unchanged – it still believes it can eventually win the war. He therefore sees little impetus for significant diplomatic progress towards peace in the coming months.

Commenting on European politicians who occasionally express readiness to initiate peace talks, Rinkēvičs said he views this pragmatically and calmly. He acknowledges the justified desire to formulate an EU strategy in case Ukraine invites them to the negotiating table. However, Russia currently has no desire for talks, and there are numerous conditions that must be met before such decisions can be made.