Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister: Something worse than the war in Ukraine has to happen for the EU to wake up
Gabrielius Landsbergis (Photo: EPA)

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not forced the European Union to use all available opportunities to strengthen its defense. Such...opinion in an interviewLIGA.net said the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania (2020–2024) Gabrielius Landsbergis.

He stated that the bloc still lacks the political will to invest in the development of new weapons, in particular long-range air defense systems.

"Something worse than the war in Ukraine has to happen for the EU to wake up. Europeans think everything is okay for them because it's not in their Europe, but somewhere abroad. The war isn't in Germany, it's not in France. Not even in Poland or Lithuania," he stated.

Landsbergis noted that the Baltic countries, including Lithuania, rely on NATO allies for protection against Russian aggression, but other scenarios must also be considered.

"I'm trying to encourage Lithuanians to imagine a scenario of a hybrid invasion – Russian military forces enter, establish a 'people's republic'. Does this fall under Article 5 of NATO? We don't know. Will the allies come? Who knows," Landsbergis said.

He emphasized that, unlike Ukraine, which has a large territory, Lithuania can be crossed "in three hours."

"If we have to wait two weeks for allies, we may lose the country. Then we will get one big Bucha after liberation," he said.

The diplomat believes that the experience necessary for defense must be gained today.