Lithuania rejects renewed EU talks with Russia over Ukraine

Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kestutis Budrys, criticized proposals voiced by some EU countries to resume dialogue with Russia during talks on peace in Ukraine.

LRT stated this in an article, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.

According to the minister, previous attempts to talk to Moscow have not produced tangible results, and restoring dialogue could only create the illusion that it is capable of changing the behavior of the aggressor state.

"If someone wants to step on the same rake again and get the same bump, I see no point in that. I do not expect any other outcome. If someone imagines talks of the same kind that were held before the full-scale invasion in 2022, when we saw that they led to nothing, then the result now will be the same, or perhaps even worse. This will create an illusion for Russia that it can achieve something, or for us that we can achieve something," Budrys said.

He emphasized that now it is necessary not to hold talks, but to consistently increase pressure on Russia, using the leverage available to the EU.

"If someone wants to talk, we must have instruments of power. These instruments are in Europe's hands - the 20th package of sanctions and full accountability of Russia's political leadership for the crimes committed," the head of Lithuanian diplomacy stressed.

"Calling, traveling, going, asking - this raises very serious doubts for me. I believe this is a bad step. We need not to talk, but to take pressure measures and seat Putin at the negotiating table so that he agrees to a ceasefire," he added.

As previously reported, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni earlier stated that Europe should establish dialogue with Russia on Ukraine, which aligns with recent comments by French President Emmanuel Macron.