Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys warned that any concessions to Russia regarding borders - even the smallest ones - pose a threat to the security of Lithuania and Europe. He noted that Europe has three key levers to support Ukraine: the use of frozen Russian assets, accelerated Ukrainian membership in the EU, and the creation of a Special Tribunal to prosecute war crimes. This is reported by Delfi, writes UNN.
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"If we allow borders to be redrawn in any, even the smallest form, and they come to us with a marker and a map, and then with tanks, to redraw the borders. We cannot allow any de jure or de facto legitimization of the occupied territories. These principles are very important," the minister emphasized.
Budrys noted that Europe has three absolutely clear levers in negotiations for peace in Ukraine, which it must use.
"The first is frozen (Russian) assets. We must take the frozen assets now, as soon as possible, and immediately transfer some of them to Ukraine to show that we are capable of financing Ukraine's defense efforts for at least 2-3 years," he said.
"Our second important lever is Ukraine's membership in the European Union. No one but the European Union can promise this, no one can negotiate this or hinder Ukraine's membership in the European Union. A political decision is needed," he emphasized.
The third lever is the creation of a Special Tribunal.
"Some imagine that amnesty for war crimes, for the crime of aggression, for the abduction of children, violence and murders of civilians is possible, so Europe's position here must also be extremely clear - we will not allow this," Budrys concluded.