It’s unusual for Ukrainian government officials ‘ words to be featured in international media. Lithuania’s opinions are n’t even a top concern among its allies. But perhaps it’s time that changed.
Following February’s Munich safety event, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis warned:
We do n’t have the political will or urgency to support Ukraine and keep our collective security, but we do. Russia, on the other hand, has the will to kill Ukraine and reinstate the Russian Empire. When did we begin utilizing our ability to stop this?
Lithuania is a small country of just 3 million people, so perhaps we would n’t expect it to lead Europe’s response to Russian aggression.
However, the Russian employment of Lithuania, imbued with harassment, repression and a authoritarian regime, is greatly understood even by younger generations. It would seem reasonable to give the opinions of Lithuania and its companions more fat than those of other countries. So why does n’t this happen?
Vytautas Landsbergis, who was formerly the first president of the region’s parliament after freedom from the USSR, predicted this battle as long back as 2008. Interviewed by a German news site about the” position in Georgia”, he plainly responded:
” It is not the scenario in Georgia simply, it is a very negative situation in Europe, and for Europe’s coming, and very tempting hard … Who is following after Georgia? … The next is Ukraine”.
This viewpoint was in striking contrast to what the Union foreign officials had in mind when they first expressed “grave problem” about the war. They pressed Georgia to hint the six-point ceasefire agreement, which essentially gave Russia” security forces” the authority to take “additional security measures,” but they criticized Russia’s overwhelming response.
The peace deal led to the Soviet occupation of 20 % of Georgia’s province, which continues to this day.
Other European Union countries ratified specific restrictions in 2014 but kept building energy alliances with the occupying country. Lithuania rather built its own liquid healthy gas terminal, named “independence”, which allowed it to break from its dependence on Russian gas.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the UN stated in 2015 that Russia is a strong participant in this conflict and bears the main responsibility for it, which is ravaging Ukraine’s flesh.
How to listen to Russia?
By 2022, Russia had launched a complete- level attack against Ukraine. Words of encouragement were provided in every way, but practical assistance was less timely. Germany and Estonia both objected to sending their outdated Howitzer artillery to Ukraine during the first weeks of the conflict by withholding acceptance.
Lithuania, however, along with Latvia, Estonia and Poland, were sounding the alarm about the risk the situation posed to the rest of the area and called for Europe to help Ukraine” with every means accessible”. Europe may undertake unwaveringly to helping some people in the region win the war.
Actually French President Emmanuel Macron had suggested that Ukraine may compromise on some of its independence until late to accommodate Putin’s needs. In state in the Baltic and Eastern Europe, these remarks received unfavorably.
Macron faced criticism from a number of European capitals when he changed his approach and said he did not rule out sending soldiers to Ukraine. Nevertheless, he found an ally in Lithuania.
Entrenched Westsplaining
This traditional view highlights the dramatic differences in opinions between nations like the Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Lithuania in comparison to those in Western Europe, such as France or Germany. This suggests that” Westsplaining” still prevails in the European Union.
Individuals from Eastern Europe have never been chosen for important positions, such as that of NATO Secretary General. They are yet subject to briefings, including from an off-the-recorded Commission official and former vice president Frans Timmermans.
Eastern Europe and the Urals are also perceived as equal companions in Western Europe. As a result, the EU – dominated by the West – still does n’t truly consider Russia as a direct menace to European safety.
In her state of the union address in 2022, EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen stated in a salutary acknowledgment that” we may have listened to the tones inside our federation- in Poland, the Baltics, and all over central and eastern Europe.”
A much more valuable discussion about who makes the decision in the EU and on what grounds should be based on this brief moment of recognition.
Viktoriia Lapa, Lecturer, Institute for European Policymaking, Bocconi University
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