Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has publicly criticized new German leader Friedrich Merz for failing to fulfill his promise to impose additional, powerful sanctions against Russia that would have helped Ukraine survive the war.
Points of attention
- Nauseda calls for unity and reiterates the need for strong actions to counter the serious threat posed by Russia to all of Europe.
- The failure to act on commitments raises concerns about trust in Europe and its ability to support Ukraine in the face of ongoing aggression from Moscow.
Nauseda does not hide his indignation
Journalists asked the Lithuanian leader whether the fact that the German Chancellor, together with Great Britain and France, promised to impose additional sanctions against Moscow for refusing to cease fire against Ukraine, but was in no hurry to do so, had undermined trust in Europe.
According to Nauseda, this "undoubtedly" had a negative impact on the authority of European countries.
This is a problem. And it affects not only the credibility of our sanctions, but also the credibility of all our actions towards Russia and our support for Ukraine. We have announced many times that we will support Ukraine and provide fighter jets, long-range missiles and ammunition. But we cannot fulfill these promises.
Gitanas Nauseda
President of Lithuania
The Lithuanian leader also predicted that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would not stop at Ukraine, but would go further.
Nauseda calls on the world not to ignore the fact that Russia has long become a serious threat to all of Europe.
Therefore, standing together is absolutely the right approach, the President of Lithuania believes.
