No signs Moscow ready to end war, former Lithuanian FM says
There are currently no signs that Russia is ready to change course and end its war against Ukraine, as Putin sees escalation as the only way to achieve his goals.
Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis believes that there are no signs Moscow is ready to end the war in Ukraine. In an interview with Ukrinform, Landsbergis stated that key decisions in Russia are made personally by President Vladimir Putin, and he remains in power. Landsbergis thinks that Putin sees defeat in the war as a personal threat and a possible loss, even of his own life.
Consequently, he believes that Putin's only path forward is to escalate the conflict. Landsbergis contends that Western countries are mistaken to expect Russian aggression to escalate in the future, as they believe escalation is already underway. He is not optimistic about Russia changing course at this point. Regarding the U.S. diplomatic strategy toward Russia and Ukraine, Landsbergis criticized the past use of appeasement tactics and stressed that maximum pressure is needed to convince Putin that the war is a dead end.
He urged European countries and the West to demonstrate their commitment to supporting Ukraine, much like Ukraine has done since 2014. Poland's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Michal Myarka, echoed Landsbergis' sentiments, saying that Russia's provocations and violations of airspace in neighboring countries do not bring peace any closer.
Full and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territories is necessary to restore peace.
Written by urgent.news from Ukrinform - Politics's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
