The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, shared a sense that the West is on the verge of repeating historical mistakes regarding support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and urged not to wait for the "Pearl Harbor effect."
Landsbergis published a series of posts on this topic on his Twitter account.
"For nearly 25 years we have been kicking can down the road, trying to contain Putin's imperialism with dialogue and diplomacy while he continues to ignore borders and flatten cities," he noted.
Landsbergis emphasized that after Russia's hybrid aggression against Ukraine in 2014, the Minsk agreements provided a pause, but essentially it only postponed the war for the future.
"I see no "quiet signals" that Russia wants "peace". I see only collapsed shopping malls, burning homes and smashed maternity hospitals, the results of yet another Russian terrorist attack. We should now be sending loud signals that these crimes will not be allowed to continue," emphasized the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Landsbergis emphasizes that the next phase of hot war may be directed not only against Ukraine, Georgia, or Moldova but also against one of the NATO countries, and the cost of repelling such aggression will be even greater.
"We could wait for what I have called the “Pearl Harbor effect”, a moment in history when the problems of tomorrow finally become the problems of today, but at an enormously inflated price. Or we could treat this as today’s problem and start solving it today. We are on the verge of repeating historic mistakes. I am convinced that if we won’t defeat Russia now, that means our chosen path is to suffer unimaginable and unnecessary losses before we eventually decide it’s time to step up and win," concludes the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.