The United Kingdom’s decision not to invite the Baltic leaders to Sunday’s meeting in London on Ukraine was a mistake, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Monday.
“When the circle [of participating countries] is expanded [...], not inviting the Baltic states was a mistake,” Budrys said at a press conference.
“We made that clear. I spoke with my colleagues in the Nordic countries, and I can assure you that they conveyed the same message,” Lithuania’s top diplomat said.
“It’s very important for us that Europe is at the common table; [...] now we can see Europe’s efforts to shape that table and the agenda for future peace talks,” he added.
According to the minister, the reasons for the Baltic nations’ participation in such meetings are clear.
“First, the support that the Baltic states and Lithuania are providing to Ukraine – both in relative and absolute terms – is significant, as is what we are doing for our own defence,” said Budrys.
“After all, we are a frontline state, and all the consequences of any agreement on Ukraine will be directly felt in Lithuania, which is why we have to be there,” he added.
Budrys’ comments came after Sunday’s meeting of the leaders of the continent’s major countries in London, where they pledged to ramp up defence spending and form a coalition to ensure the implementation of a possible peace deal in Ukraine.
Countries at the summit included France, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Norway, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Finland, Italy, Spain and Canada.
Ahead of the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with the Baltic leaders on the phone.
Asta Skaisgirytė, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser, said over the weekend that Starmer apologised to the Baltic states for not inviting them to London.
This is not the first time that the Baltic states have not been invited to a meeting on Europe’s Ukraine policy.
In mid-February, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a meeting of some European leaders to discuss Ukraine and European security. Denmark represented the Nordic and Baltic countries at the meeting.
A few days later, Macron convened a second summit, which the Lithuanian president joined via video link.
“We were satisfied with that model; if we say that there can’t be a huge conference and that the circle of countries must be smaller, then this is the answer,” Budrys said.
The minister did not comment on whether Lithuania received an explanation for not being invited to the London meeting.
“For us, the most important thing is the assurance that this won’t happen again in the future,” he said.
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