Gabrielius Landsbergis: Donald Trump “got into the trap” and Europe must unite

– It seems that every security conference in Munich is an alarm bell for Europe – said the former Minister of Foreign Affairs in an interview with Michał Sznajder Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis. He emphasized that most leaders express concern, but hardly anyone offers specific solutions.

Landsbergis pointed out that the situation has not improved over the past year. – It only got worse. It is generally visible that Europe must do more, fulfill its obligations, support Ukrainebut unfortunately we do not hear too much about it from European capitals – he added.

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Former foreign minister asked about the assessment of the president's actions USA Donald Trumphe admitted that at the beginning, when Trump won the election, “the position he represented, taken from the time of power held by Reagan,” caused “hope” in him.

– I was a bit critical of the previous American administration, because from my perspective the Americans were a bit too much in the help of Ukraine and sometimes showed that they were even afraid of escalation – he assessed.

– There was hope that Trump would change it, that he would be able to tilt it in favor of Ukraine and achieve peace through the strength of Ukraine. But now all these hopes have been ground in gunpowder. We are waiting for some negotiations, Trump's meeting with Putin, where they will decide on the fate not only of Ukraine but also – he said.

Gabrielius Landsbergis assessed that Donald Trump “fell into a trap”. He promised a very quick agreement, so now he is passing on to the opponent all the cards. If Putin were to say now that he does not want to meet or need more time, he would have a negative impact on Trump – he pointed out.

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– Now Trump must promise Putin everything he desires to make sure that he will not be alone at the negotiating table. And if it requires slandering President Zełeński, he will do it. It is certainly painful, but I don't think we have to react to it – he added.

The former head of Lithuanian diplomacy warned that if Trump continues to follow the way to ask for a quick agreement, it would be in a very difficult situation when Putin begins to probe, how far he can go.

– Here only his imagination will be a limitation. Today, Lavrov stated that he would not agree to European soldiers in Ukraine. Putin said that he is ready to change the government in Ukraine, so you can see that there is a lot of confidence from Russian leaders, even self -confidence, but this comes from talks with President Trump – he explained.

Gabrielius Landsbergis admitted that in the subject of European defense policy we are struggling with a lack of solidarity. – However, when we say that it could be the end of Europe that we know today, it is for this reason. If we are not able to explain to all European citizens that this is a matter that concerns each of us – he assessed.

– Imagine the apartment block. If the roof is leaking, the entire block must pay for it, not just those who live on the top floor. Now we have this problem: our roof is leaking. If everyone does not get involved, it means that we do not live together, but somewhere next to each other – he added.