Latvia’s President, Edgars Rinkēvičs, has marked the anniversary of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, describing it as ‘a relevant lesson for the modern world’.
In a post on X on 23 August, he recalled that the 1939 agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union divided Europe into spheres of influence. ‘9 days later Nazi Germany invaded Poland and the World War II began, Baltic states soon were occupied,’ he wrote.
August 23, 1939- Stalin and Hitler made a deal known as #MolotovRibbentrop pact dividing Europe in spheres of influence. 9 days later Nazi Germany invaded Poland and the World War II began, Baltic states soon were occupied. A history lesson that is relevant today’s world as well.
— Edgars Rinkēvičs (@edgarsrinkevics) August 23, 2025
The pact — signed in Moscow and backdated to 23 August 1939 — contained a secret protocol apportioning much of Eastern Europe between Berlin and Moscow. The subsequent sequence is well documented: Germany attacked Poland on 1 September 1939; Britain and France declared war two days later; and, in 1940, the Baltic states were occupied and annexed by the USSR. The date is now observed across the EU as the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Totalitarian Regimes, also known as Black Ribbon Day.
Rinkēvičs’s message comes amid renewed discussions over possible parameters for ending Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, including public debate in Western media about whether any settlement might involve territorial concessions. Reporting in recent days has reflected the breadth of opinion among Ukrainians and allies on what a viable agreement could look like and whether a ‘frozen’ front line would be acceptable.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set out Ukraine’s current position ahead of further talks with international partners. On 17 August he said negotiations should begin from the existing line of contact and that a ceasefire would be a necessary step to facilitate “real negotiations”. His stance followed a period of shuttle diplomacy and proposals floated by international actors in the wake of high-level meetings earlier in August.
The United States has signalled that decisions on any territorial issues rest with Kyiv. In televised interviews on 17 August, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said outcomes were ‘up to the Ukrainians’, while other remarks attributed to him emphasised that Washington would not pressure Ukraine to hand over territory as part of any deal. The State Department has also highlighted that European allies favour a ceasefire first, before substantive talks on a longer-term settlement.
For Latvia and its Baltic neighbours, the historical reference point is direct. The secret protocol to the 1939 pact placed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the Soviet sphere; occupation followed within months of the outbreak of war. Baltic officials have repeatedly used the 23 August anniversary to underline their reading of twentieth-century history and to caution against great-power arrangements made over the heads of smaller states.
The European Day of Remembrance, established at EU level in 2009, is marked annually on 23 August with commemorative events and educational initiatives. The date is intended to remember victims of totalitarian regimes and to encourage historical reflection on decisions that precipitated the Second World War. Cultural and academic institutions across Europe, including those in the Baltic states, regularly organise exhibitions, public lectures and outreach to schools to coincide with the anniversary.
Against that backdrop, Rinkēvičs’s post drew a straight line between decisions taken in 1939 and contemporary debates about European security. His emphasis on chronology — agreement, invasion, occupation — echoes standard historical accounts and is intended to reinforce the principle that borders in Europe should not be redrawn by force. As policymakers weigh options for achieving a sustainable end to war in Ukraine, the Latvian president’s intervention situates present-day diplomacy within a longer historical frame that remains resonant today.
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