‘Everyone but two’: EU leaders near consensus on need to defeat Putin — Lithuanian President

More and more EU leaders understand the need for Ukraine to win the war against Russia and reject the idea of negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said at the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, Politico reported on March 25.

“I think the understanding is broadening that we have to defeat Russia, because otherwise there will be a continuation of this tragic story,” Nauseda told Politico.

“At least I don't see leaders who want to call [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to talk about the issues in Ukraine,” he said.

“We do not have any leader who still trusts Putin; anyone, that is, except for two of them.”

Read also: Ukrainian FM Kuleba on deploying Western troops to Ukraine: Macron meant military training

He was referring specifically about the Prime Ministers of Hungary and Slovakia, Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico, having the closest ties with the Russian dictator, Politico reported.

"The most dramatic shift has been by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has ditched his early efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the war by negotiating with Putin directly," Politico reported.

Macron's statements about the possible deployment of Western troops to Ukraine and the need to defeat Russia illustrate this shift in policy. These statements bring Macron's position closer to the position maintained in Eastern European countries.

Even though the debate is shifting towards working to defeat Russia, instead of negotiating, it is not especially important unless it is accompanied by weapon supplies and substantial support for Kyiv, Politico wrote.

The real issue of military aid to Ukraine lies in "a matter of political will", NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Macron's s tatement on sending troops to Ukraine

Ukraine's Western allies could create a coalition to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with long-range weapons, and future Western troop deployment to Ukraine should not be ruled out, Macron said after a conference in support of Ukraine held in Paris on Feb. 26

Several NATO countries publicly rejected the idea of sending troops to Ukraine in response to Macron's statements, including Poland, the United States, Germany, Czechia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Read also: NATO support work in Ukraine possible, in line with international rules, says Czech President Pavel

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas did not reject the possibility of sending NATO troops, adding that their troops would only be used on a training mission.

"All options should be kept open," Dutch Army Defense Chief, General Onno Eichelsheim, said.

European NATO member states have been studying the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine for weeks, the AFP news agency reported, citing a source.

French troops could help Ukraine protect certain borders, and take part in exercises or ground air defense, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Feb. 29. He ruled out the participation of French soldiers in battles "directly on the front line."

Macron, speaking about sending Western troops to Ukraine, meant training missions for Ukrainian soldiers, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine