Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene urged European countries on Feb. 24 to "move faster" in strengthening their security in the light of recent geopolitical shifts.
Speaking in the context of Russian aggression in Ukraine and Europe's need to boost its defense capabilities, Sakaliene said, "When you feel that your own ass is burning, you start to move faster."
"So I do hope that we will start to move faster in the next few months," Lithuania's defense chief said at the YES conference event held in Kyiv by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion.
The comments come as European leaders and other partners gather in Kyiv to devise a common strategy for Ukraine's security and pledge further assistance.
The stability of the pro-Ukraine coalition grows uncertain as U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies diplomatic outreach to Moscow while sidelining Ukraine and Europe, casting doubt on his commitment to Ukrainian security.
"We need to strengthen our transatlantic bond. Even though we are a dysfunctional family, a divorce is not an option," Sakaliene said at the event, which was attended by the Kyiv Independent.
In contrast, Lithuania's former foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, said at the conference that "Europe has to understand we are in this fight most likely alone, there’s us and Ukrainians and no one else. We pick up this battle or lose."
"Is Europe actually alive? If it still hasn't woken up, what’s happening with the patient?" Landsbergis said.
Lithuania's former diplomacy chief urged Europe to confiscate the roughly $200 billion in frozen assets frozen in European accounts and deploy peacekeepers on the ground in Ukraine.
"The only question that remains is whether we ask Putin for permission. It’s not a joke. Leaders in Europe say, 'We will send troops if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin allows it.' This is the mentality, and we need to break it," Landsbergis said.
Calls for confiscating frozen Russian assets and taking more decisive steps against Russia were also supported by businessman and oligarch Viktor Pinchuk, the host of the conference.
"Europe needs to completely change its understanding of this moment and do something simple but revolutionary—use $300 billion frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, increase the military budget at least to 3%, spend much more money on supporting Ukraine and your own defense, send soldiers to Ukraine, and take Ukraine into the EU now, not later," Pinchuk said at the event.
"This is the right response to this moment. You are not just witnesses to this moment; you are participants."
Francis Farrell
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