I have the impression that we are currently living in times similar to 1938, just before the meeting of leaders in Munich. Then, unfortunately, World War II came quickly and we remember exactly what happened, and for the Baltic countries the price was the loss of independence for 50 years, said Margus Tsahkna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, on Tuesday. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis argued that NATO must set strict red lines for Russia regarding hybrid attacks.
Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna during a conference in Tallinn with the head of diplomacy Lithuania Gabriel Landsbergis referred to the events preceding the outbreak of World War II and the Munich Agreement concluded in 1938.
Then, representatives of Western European powers decided to give part of Czechoslovakia to the Third Reich. The agreement has gone down in history as one of the most shameful diplomatic moves.
According to Tsahkna, in the context of a full-scale peaceful ending Russia's attack on UkraineThe West cannot make the mistakes of 1938, when it was believed that a policy of concessions to the imperialist dictator, Adolf Hitler, would preserve peace in Europe.
Russian soldiersmil.ru
Tsahkna: we need a strong leader
The head of Estonian diplomacy pointed out that currently there is a chance for “long-lasting peace” only with support Ukraineand its place is in the EU and NATObut for this – he emphasized – “real guarantees” are needed.
The Estonian minister admitted that due to the new presidency Donald Trump From USA different leadership is expected. – We need a strong leader, and the US has military and economic capabilities as well as a fresh political mandate – he emphasized.
In his opinion, Trump “has a chance to become the Churchill of our times”, not only – he noted – in the context of aggression Russia to Ukraine, but also in connection with, for example, the involvement of North Korean soldiers on the Ukrainian front, the conflict Iran With Israelor China's behavior towards these events so far.
– Tsakhna said – in the context of a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, it is not “about concluding new Minsk agreements”, because we know that after this there will be another aggression, but it is about achieving a lasting peace in which Ukrainians and Europe will be involved.
Landsbergis: NATO must draw strict red lines for Russia
– We need to send a message to our partners that we are in the territory of hybrid attacks, that people are concerned. And we must send a very clear signal to the Russians that there are red lines that they would not like to cross, said the head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gabrielius Landsbergis.
The minister emphasized that not only Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia should send such a message. – NATO should do it. This must be done by the most powerful allies in our Alliance, Landsbergis emphasized.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis Reuters Archive
“No hypothesis has been ruled out” regarding the plane crash
During a joint press conference with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, Landsbergis announced that an investigation into Monday's crash of a cargo plane in Vilnius was ongoing and that “no hypothesis has been ruled out.”
READ ALSO: A powerful flash and huge clouds of smoke. New recording of the moment of the disaster in Vilnius
In the context of the incident, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said that NATO allies must “send a message both to Russian President Vladimir Putin and to their societies that the aggressor must stop intimidation, otherwise specific actions will be taken.”
A plane flying from Leipzig, chartered by the logistics company DHL, crashed on Monday morning near a residential building in Vilnius. One of the four people on board the plane died and the others were injured.
Main photo source: mil.ru