Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs criticized Bulgaria and other European Union countries on Monday for blocking the 21st package of sanctions against Russia, which could impose restrictions on 250 individuals and entities and tighten restrictions on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), Reuters reported.
Vetoing parts of the package leads to complicity in the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, he said, adding that the lack of action against Moscow's "shadow fleet" of tankers and its sales of liquefied natural gas fueled the "Russian war machine."
"Furthermore, some (European) countries are making big money from this. The question is: do you want to make money or do you want to achieve peace? You can't have both," Kulbergs said.
He added that Latvia had increased security measures around a hydroelectric power plant located upstream of the capital Riga and at a huge underground gas storage facility due to intelligence indicating a threat from Russia.
The leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland recently warned that Western intelligence agencies believe Russia is planning provocations and attacks on infrastructure in the region. The Kremlin has called the allegations baseless.