– I was alone in criticizing Putin.
Dalia Grybauskaitė told those present during the Christie conference on Tuesday.
The former president of Lithuania spoke in front of hundreds of attendees in the University Hall in Bergen.
The theme for this year’s conference was Europe of the future, in light of the changed security situation as a result of, among other things, the war in Ukraine.
Before Grybauskaitė became president, from 2004 she was commissioner for financial planning and budgeting in the European Commission.
Photo: John Inge Johansen / NRK
– Everyone tried to calm me down
In 2014, the former president made headlines when she compared the Russian president to Hitler and Stalin. Even then she said that Russia was at war with Europe.
Grybauskaitė says she felt a great responsibility towards the Ukrainians. But she was criticized by others, and in the Lithuanian election campaign in 2019 both presidential candidates stepped in to tone down their rhetoric towards Russia.
– It felt like everyone was trying to calm me down and ignore me. But I knew I was right and that they should have listened to me.
The ex-president says that she is often told that she was right in her statements about Putin back in 2014, and that more people should have listened to her earlier.
Among other things, she highlights conversations with Hillary Clinton, who was foreign minister until 2013, the year before Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula. The two often meet through the Clinton Foundation, and every time they meet, the former first lady says that “you were right about Russia.”
To which Grybauskaitė replies “but why are you still not listening to me?”.
– We must dare to be annoying and “bad ass”. We all have a responsibility. And we have nothing to lose. If we allow it, Putin will win the war.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden stated that he promises to sign the large support package for Ukraine, which was passed in the Senate on Tuesday. The package is worth 61 billion US dollars. The UK also announces the largest Ukraine package to date.
Earlier this week it became known that both NATO and Norway are giving billions for more air defense to the Ukrainian defence. From before, the Storting has adopted five-year support for Ukraine.
– Putin wants to crush us
During the conference, Grybauskaitė thanked Norway, which she pointed out is among the countries that give the most support to Ukraine.
– By supporting Ukraine, we protect ourselves against war in the rest of Europe.
Although today she is far from alone in her criticism of Putin, she believes that we can all do even more to support Ukraine in the war.
The ex-president believes that Russia will crush Europe, and believes that Putin will not give up until he either wins the war or dies.
– There are no other ways out. He has no other choice.
GREEN: The landscape known as the Suwalki Corridor offers small hills, lots of forest and the occasional sleepy village.
Photo: Reuters
Defense expert: – She probably has nothing to fear
Tormod Heier, professor of military strategy at the Norwegian Defense Academy understands that Grybauskaitė is worried.
– The ex-president’s statements may seem alarming, but are understandable in light of their position, he says.
The NATO country Lithuania shares the land area of the Suwalki corridor with Poland, the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and the border with Belarus. The area is called “NATO’s weakest point”.
There are approximately 66 kilometers between Belarus and Russia (Kaliningrad) through the area known as the Suwalki Corridor.
The land area is part of Lithuania and Poland
The scenario the German authorities envisage is first that the Russians move forces to Kaliningrad and Belarus
Russian forces can then come from both sides. And although Nato will probably have moved troops closer, the attack itself can go very quickly.
This will give Russia an overland supply line to the ice-free naval base in Baltijsk. At the same time, the land connection from the Baltic countries to the rest of Europe is cut off.
It will change the map of Europe. But also likely to trigger article five of NATO’s statutes, since both Poland and the Baltic countries are NATO countries. It could therefore be the start of a major war.
– The concern in the Baltic countries is probably largely based on how far the USA and NATO are willing to go, in the event of a third world war. The fear is that Lithuania will become too small for NATO and the West to care about, says Heier.
Nevertheless, he does not believe that Russia has the capacity to invade other areas as is the situation in Ukraine.
– The whole war is largely based on a misinterpretation on the part of Russia. They have ended up in a military quagmire, and have no prerequisites for invading further areas, he says.
– Russia has little to gain from a possible invasion of the Baltic countries. The Russian military is like a small mosquito compared to NATO. So she probably has nothing to fear.
Tormod Heier is professor of military strategy at the Norwegian Defense Academy
Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB
