The Ministers of Defense of Estonia and Lithuania openly opposed the cessation of the war in Ukraine, saying that such a stop will only push the Kremlin to a new phase of aggression - this time already directly against the Baltic countries. About it reports Financial Times .
The message of two ministers was direct and unambiguous: if Russia pauses - it will not use it for peace. On the contrary, Moscow will use it to regroup, strengthen the army and release the forces closer to the borders of NATO. And the next purpose can be Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.
"We all understand that when the war in Ukraine is stopped, Russia will redistribute its forces very quickly. This means that the threat will also increase significantly," said Estonia's Defense Minister Hanno Makur.
He stressed that about 600,000 Russian soldiers, which are now involved in the war against Ukraine, can be directed to northeast Europe in the coming months after a possible "pause".
His Lithuanian colleague is a shakaline agrees: the ceasefire will not be a victory of peace, but a "rest for the aggressor".
"Russia will use this time to strengthen their military potential. They already have a large army trained on the battlefield. They will only intensify it until the West thinks that the threat is turned away," she said.
Baltic ministers have actually supported a position that has previously caused serious indignation in Ukraine. We are talking about the words of the head of Federal Intelligence of Germany Bruno Kalya, who stated that the war should last until 2030 - allegedly it would give Europe time to re -equipment.
Such a cynical approach, they say, "let the Ukrainians fight while we are preparing", was regarded as a betrayal of the basic values of the Western partnership. At the same time, the statements of Lithuanian and Estonian ministers have a different implication: it is not a conscious delay in war, but about the need to prevent its artificial stop without security guarantees.
In fact, the position of Baltic countries is a clear realization that the current war is not a "local conflict". It is the front of pan -European security. If Ukraine is forced to agree to the "truce" without a real victory, Europe will receive another war - already in the EU.
That is why the Ministers of Defense of Estonia and Lithuania are urging not to press on Kiev for negotiations with Moscow, but on the contrary - to support the Armed Forces in every possible way until the final defeat of the aggressor.
