Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Monday that the European Union should have reacted more swiftly to the offensive launched over the weekend by the United States and Israel against Iran, and called for closer cooperation with Washington to achieve long-term changes in the region.
“Regarding the speed of the European Union’s reaction, I also had comments for my colleagues yesterday. We are too slow, and the coordination of all our positions and statements takes too long. That must be acknowledged. We could have reacted faster,” Budrys told reporters.
EU foreign ministers held urgent talks Sunday, during which a joint statement from the 27 member states was agreed upon. Budrys said the statement reflects Lithuania’s position, condemning Iran’s retaliatory strikes, expressing political solidarity with Gulf states, and offering condolences for those killed in the attacks.
The US and Israel launched what officials described as an unprecedented offensive against Iran over the weekend, reportedly killing several hundred people. One strike hit a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran.
US President Donald Trump said the strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear program and missile development. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who had ruled the country since 1989, was killed in the attacks.
Despite ongoing talks at the time of the strikes, Budrys argued diplomatic efforts to compel Tehran to halt its nuclear program have failed. “We see that the US and Israel, by carrying out these attacks, have not yet achieved their stated goals, as they themselves have defined them. That is, to completely prevent Iran from continuing its nuclear program or supporting favourable regimes or terrorist organisations in the region,” he said.
The minister stressed that the EU must clearly define its strategic interest, which he identified as eliminating regimes in the Middle East that pose an existential threat to Israel. “Our interest should be to cooperate with the United States to achieve long-term changes in the region, and in our assessment and conviction, we can do this while adhering as much as possible to international law,” Budrys said.
“Another dictator has fallen, another regime has been weakened. The harm caused by the regime to our security is not only through direct means but also through support for Russia. This sends a very strong message to all dictators that nothing is eternal,” he added.
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