Russia’s buildup near the Ukrainian border is likely to secure the Kremlin a stronger negotiating position as the possibility remains that tensions are resolved peacefully, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said.
“I still believe in the peaceful solution of this conflict,” Nauseda said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Friday in Brussels. “Yes, there are a lot of rumors — we should probably stay calm and talk about the possibility of resolving this conflict peacefully.”
The U.S. says Russia is poised to attack Ukraine after massing some 150,000 troops and heavy machinery near its border, while seeing no evidence of a pullback announced earlier this week. Russia has dismissed the warnings as “hysteria” even as it carries out vast military exercises in neighboring Belarus.
The tensions have had a devastating effect on Ukraine’s economy, eroding the nation’s currency reserves, the Baltic leader said.
“They lose money every day,” Nauseda said. “It creates tensions in the society. Under such circumstances, it’s almost impossible to implement reforms, which is a precondition to be closer to the European Union. So you see this vicious circle of efforts and goals.”
Echoing Nauseda’s comments, Latvian Defense Artis Pabriks said NATO unity and resolve were the best way to secure a peaceful settlement, with a response ready if diplomacy doesn’t work. “This time we can’t blink,” he said.
“Russians are not stupid people, they are tactically brilliant negotiators, when they will see that our works are going together with our deeds they may come to their senses again,” Pabriks said in a Bloomberg Television interview.
