Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze has urged the US to accelerate its pressure on Moscow by enforcing secondary sanctions sooner than planned, warning that any delay would only strengthen Russia’s hand in the conflict with Ukraine.

Her remarks came in response to former US President Donald Trump’s recent statement that he would impose tariffs as high as 100% on nations continuing commerce with Russia if a peace deal isn’t reached within 50 days. Braze, however, criticized the timeframe as too long.

“There’s no reason to wait,” she told Politico on Wednesday. “Russia is still advancing, and we’re giving it time it shouldn’t have.” According to Braze, intelligence among Western allies suggests that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no real interest in ending the conflict.

She argued that the West must act without delay to force Moscow back to the negotiating table. The goal of secondary sanctions, she clarified, is to target Russia’s military capacity — not its civilian population.

“This is about dismantling their ability to wage war. It’s not directed at the Russian people; it’s about limiting what Russia can do on the battlefield,” Braze said.

The Kremlin has maintained that it is open to diplomatic solutions, but any settlement, according to Moscow, must address the conflict’s origins and be legally enforceable. Russian officials have repeatedly said that Ukraine and its Western allies have not shown genuine interest in peace talks.

Responding to Trump’s warning, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov dismissed it as an unacceptable demand. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov added that Washington should instead be urging Kiev to pursue peace, noting that Ukraine views Western support as a green light to continue hostilities.