President of Lithuania on the possible deployment of Western troops to Ukraine: "We must stop drawing red lines for ourselves"
Kyiv • UNN
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda supports discussions about sending Western troops to Ukraine to train Ukrainian soldiers and calls on the West to stop "drawing red lines" out of fear of Russia's reaction.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said he supports discussions on sending Western military to Ukraine to train Ukrainian soldiers and called on the West to stop "drawing red lines." He said this on Wednesday to journalists in Paris, UNN reports with reference to LRT.
I welcomed the idea of sending missions to Ukrainian territory as an idea, and I still believe that we should discuss this idea. Of course, it would be best if we all unanimously agreed on the need for this and took a very good look at the intelligence and other information that we have
He also emphasized that fear of the Kremlin's possible reaction should not be a determining factor in Europe's decision.
"If we start saying that no, Vladimir Putin will not like this or that, (...) we will never make a decision. That is why yesterday I told both the president (Macron - ed.) and the media that we must stop drawing red lines for ourselves," the Lithuanian president emphasized.
"By drawing red lines, we are only helping Putin, who is beginning to think that we are predictable and that he can control and manipulate us," he added.
Nauseda also warned that Europe will not be able to avoid a larger war by passively watching the bloodshed on its doorstep, as neither Ukraine, the Baltic states, nor Poland will satisfy Russia's territorial ambitions.
Speaking at the opening of the Paris Defense and Strategy Forum, Nausėda said it was a "fundamental mistake" to think that Putin's Russia could be pacified by ceding territory. "No, a wider war in Europe cannot be avoided by sitting quietly and not interfering in the bloodshed that Russia is organizing in Ukraine," the president said.
The president also warned against believing that Western democracies can be safe "under the umbrella of nuclear weapons."
"Russia will not stop. It can only be stopped. And it would be better for us to stop Russia in Ukraine, and to do it as soon as possible. Because the longer it goes on, the more expensive it will be for all of us," Nauseda summarized.
Recall
French President Emmanuel Macron saidthat although there are no plans to send Western troops to Ukraine, it cannot be ruled out in order to prevent Russia from winning the war.
Such comments provoked a wave of statements from Western countries.
As President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal only talks about training in various fields.