We have to find a creative solution – Lithuanian Foreign Minister on the war in Ukraine
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said that the EU has not yet agreed upon a satisfactory plan of action for helping overcome Russian aggression.
"In spite of the fact that I am going to the next Council meeting today, I do not think it should be like this. I think we have to admit that there is nothing normal about the situation in which Europe has ended up, and if we do not collectively come to this realisation, we may find ourselves in even worse circumstances – Ukraine in particular obviously will," Landsbergis said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Landsbergis said that if Europe does not "get its act together" and find a solution, the situation could get even worse.
"And if we don't wake up to this new reality – if we don't brainstorm and find a solution that is new and creative and helps change the situation on the battlefield – I unfortunately don't think we will be hearing much good news in the future," Landsbergis said.
He added that the Ukrainians are capable of securing their victory.
"They have shown courage, capability, knowledge and competence – so many things that we did not believe they had. The main problem is equipment and ammunition. Ukraine has been experiencing a shell shortage for a very long time. Now the ratio on the battlefield is 6 to 1. This means that for every six rockets that the Russians are able to fire, the Ukrainians fire only one," the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said.
He pointed out that what the Ukrainian military can do on the battlefield now is "a miracle".
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on 17 February, reiterated his call for Western powers to increase military assistance to Ukraine, noting that the success of Ukrainian forces is limited by the fitness-for-purpose and range of weapons and that "the situation in Avdiivka confirms this."
He also said that he was not considering alternatives to US assistance, as he expects the political issues to be resolved and Washington to remain a strategic ally.