Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda insists that remarks by some European Union politicians about resuming dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin weaken Europe’s position and undermine a coherent policy toward Moscow.
“Europe’s standing is hardly strengthened when individual leaders suddenly start saying, ‘Oh, we haven’t spoken to Putin for so long, we absolutely need to talk to him again’,” Nausėda told LRT TV on Tuesday. “That is not a coherent policy, because just a few months ago we were talking about Russia’s responsibility, the 20th sanctions package and how to make it as tough as possible.”
Nausėda said Europe could participate in US-led talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine, but only after close coordination within the 27-nation bloc to ensure the goal is a sustainable and just peace.
“Putin – and this must be said very clearly – respects strength, and he sees that strength on the US side,” Nausėda said. “That does not mean Europe has no role in this process, especially when Ukraine insists that Europe be an equal partner in these negotiations, but we must first coordinate closely among ourselves.”
He said that a lasting peace would serve not only Ukraine’s interests but Europe’s as well.
“Europe’s role above all is to ensure that peace provides guarantees of stability and security not only for Ukraine, but for Europe itself, because it is in our vital interest that any peace should not effectively sow the seeds of another conflict or another Russian attack in a year and a half or two years,” the president said.
“This is where I see an opportunity to act together, rather than sending representatives one by one to knock on the Kremlin’s door and speak with one or another of its officials,” he added.
Last week, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and Estonian President Alar Karis said they supported the idea of appointing a special European envoy to take part in talks with the Kremlin on ending the war in Ukraine.
In late January, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said on a Delfi.lt program that Europe must have a clear strategic plan for peace in Ukraine and that implementing it would “inevitably require talking to Putin, whether we like him or not”.
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