Lithuania: Ukraine must be fully equipped to win against Russia

(Dan Tri) - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called on NATO countries to provide Ukraine with everything it needs, emphasizing that military support is the key to success on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky (Illustration photo: AFP).

Before the start of the second day of the NATO defense ministers' meeting, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the West's support for Ukraine is insufficient if you compare the cost of aid to Kiev with the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Hromadske radio reported.

“There is an illusion that somehow we cannot provide Ukraine with everything it needs. And so we are simply digging in the dirt, trying to find a few hundred million euros or dollars to support Ukraine. But if you look at the conflicts that have happened in the recent past – take Afghanistan and Iraq for example – we have spent trillions of dollars on these wars. So if you compare the amount of money we have spent on Ukraine, it is a small number,” he said.

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister noted the need for immediate and comprehensive military support to Ukraine, emphasizing in particular: "If we want peace in Ukraine, there is no other way. We will have to provide security guarantees, and in our opinion, there is no better, cheaper way to provide security guarantees than actual security guarantees from NATO under Article 5."

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis (Photo: Reuters).

Earlier, on December 3-4, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council was held at NATO headquarters.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he saw the allies' goal as providing Ukraine with a level of support that would allow it to start negotiations with Russia from a position of strength and Moscow would have no chance of achieving its goals.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr Rutte noted that the Alliance had seen no signs that the Kremlin chief was preparing for any form of truce.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin set out conditions for peace talks with Kiev, including the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from territories under Russian control, including Donetsk and Lugansk (also known as Donbass), as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. These are territories in Ukraine that Russia has declared annexed, along with the Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine.

The conditions set by President Putin also included Ukraine's commitment to neutrality and not joining NATO or any other Western military bloc.

In a speech on the evening of December 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had heard a report from the head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) under the Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Kirill Budanov, about Russia's intentions in the coming time.

"There was a report from the head of the Main Directorate of Defense Intelligence. Mr. Budanov reported on Russia's intentions in the near future and on the situation in Syria - how a change in the balance of power in Syria could change the global situation," the Ukrainian leader said.

President Zelensky added that he also heard reports on the situation in Georgia and noted that he had instructed to prepare decisions on sanctions against the country.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/litva-ukraine-phai-duoc-trang-bi-day-du-de-gianh-chien-thang-truoc-nga-20241205141805918.htm