BB.lv: The EU and NATO do not have a strategy towards the Russian Federation

Neither the North Atlantic Alliance nor the European Union has a strategy towards the Russian Federation, said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, speaking to a DW correspondent in Brussels on Wednesday, April 3. “There is no general debate regarding our strategy towards Russia in either NATO or the EU. I think this is a mistake. I believe that we should have such a debate. During such a discussion, we should also discuss how the war in Ukraine should end.” , he pointed out.

“Since we do not have such a real strategy, we must adhere to the principles that we have,” the minister emphasized, listing the principles of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its international borders, the 1991 Budapest Memorandum. Separately, he highlighted the principle according to which the state and people of Ukraine should have the right to vote when deciding on a future peace with Russia.

“The biggest mistake we, the West or the major powers, might make would be to impose or dictate a solution to Ukraine without inviting it to participate in the process. They will feel betrayed, and this will not lead to a lasting and just peace and security in Europe,” Jan Lipavsky is convinced.

A frozen conflict will not bring peace to Europe

In response to a question regarding the proposal to freeze the conflict in Ukraine, repeatedly heard by the chairman of the parliamentary faction of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Rolf Mützenich, Lipavsky replied: “I am not happy when I hear regarding freezing the conflict, because there is a conflict in Ukraine has been frozen since 2014, and the current war is simply a continuation of the frozen conflict that began in 2014. So, in my opinion, this will not bring a just and lasting peace on the European continent.”

In his opinion, the war in Ukraine is a consequence of an even larger problem – Russian imperialism. “The real problem is the idea that the leader of the Kremlin, be it Putin or someone else, can go and seize a piece of territory with brute force and proclaim: ‘This is mine.'” The minister recalled Moscow’s actions in Crimea, Georgia, Transnistria and pointed out, that Russian propaganda has already targeted the Baltic countries, Poland and even the Czech Republic. “Therefore, we need to secure Europe, the EU, the Czech Republic, and simply pursuing a freeze will not bring security. But I don’t rule out any scenarios, of course, a lot can happen,” he added.