'Stop drawing red lines': Nauseda supports sending Western troops to Ukraine

"I welcomed the idea of sending missions to Ukrainian territory as an idea, and I still believe that we should discuss this idea. Of course, the best thing would be for all of us to agree unanimously on the need for this and to assess very well the intelligence and other information that we have," says Nauseda.

According to him, the fear of a possible reaction from the Kremlin cannot be the determining factor in European decision-making.

Red lines

Nauseda also emphasizes that if we rely on the reaction of dictator Vladimir Putin, Western countries will never reach a decision.

"And that is why I told both president [Macron] and the media yesterday that we should stop drawing red lines for ourselves," says the Lithuanian president.

Nauseda believes that by drawing red lines, Western countries only help Putin, who begins to think that they are predictable and that he can manipulate them.

Broader war in Europe

Nauseda also warns that Europe will not avoid a broader war by passively watching bloodshed near its doorstep, as neither Ukraine, the Baltic countries, nor Poland will satisfy Russia's territorial ambitions.

Speaking at the opening of the Paris Defense and Strategy Forum, Nauseda said it would be a "fundamental mistake" to think that Putin's Russia could be appeased by territorial concessions.

Macron's statement

At the end of February this year, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out sending Western troops to help Ukraine. However, he clarified that there was no consensus on this issue.

Later, Macron specified that sending French troops to Ukraine was possible in the event of a renewed Russian advance on Kyiv or Odesa. Some countries have already publicly opposed such an initiative.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said that now is the right time to discuss the possibility of sending troops from Western countries to help Ukraine.