It would be a mistake to return to normal relations with Russia after the war in Ukraine, Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda said during an international conference in Lithuania’s Kaunas on Friday.
“We should not forget this war and its consequences until there is a change in the Russian regime. It is a criminal regime and it should take full responsibility for the war,” he said.
The West must also seek to ensure that the Kremlin runs out of resources to continue its war in Ukraine, according to Nausėda.
“Countries that have lived in Russia’s neighbourhood for centuries know better than anyone else that the aggressor cannot be stopped by concessions,” he said at a joint news conference with his Latvian, Polish, and Romanian counterparts in Kaunas.
“We need to continue with sanctions – there must be no resources left for the Kremlin to continue this war,” the president added.
Nausėda also called on Western countries to step up their support for Ukraine.
“We must scale up our support to Ukraine: air defence systems, weapons, military equipment, winter uniforms – anything that Ukrainians ask for,” he said. “We need to find a way to deliver it because this is how they can win against the aggressor, and this is how we all can win.”
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