The West does not see Russia’s war in Ukraine as an immediate threat, waiting for a Pearl Harbor-like shock to happen, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Tuesday.
During a discussion at the foreign policy forum in Berlin, Landsbergis drew the parallel to Japan’s surprise attack in 1941 against the US naval base, when the death of over 2,400 American soldiers prompted the US to enter World War II.
“We still aren’t allowing the thought that this war is about us – not in a value description that we fight because it’s right, because it’s a righteous war – but strategically that this affects us and that Russia is trying to undermine the West. That would mean that if Ukraine is unable to withstand, it will be our loss,” he said.
Landsbergis said that Western nations are “not open and candid enough” about what Russia’s war in Ukraine really means and suggested that this could be due to “the fear of escalation”.
“In many cases, we try to portray this as a regional, still far away issue that might not affect us all. This is a major policy issue that should drive the debate,” Landsbergis said.
“As a person who is interested in history, what I am fearing is that we’re waiting for Pearl Harbor to happen,” he added. “We passed all the stages already and we’re like ‘Pearl Harbor has not happened, so we’re fine’. We’re not fine.”
Landsbergis and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock opened the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum 2023 on Tuesday.
The two ministers are also expected to discuss security and defence issues, including the deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania, support for Ukraine, the EU enlargement, and other topics.
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