The EU’s weak response to Russian aggression plays into Putin’s hands

The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell is in Ukraine today. His mission? To show solidarity with Kiev in the face of Russian aggression. But the visit is too little too late. Former Soviet states, such as Ukraine, have grown used to the lofty rhetoric and empty gestures of their EU. The reality is that when it really matters, the West is failing to stick up for its allies. Linas Linkevičius, Lithuania’s former minister of foreign affairs, says it’s time for Brussels – and the rest of the West – to change tack when it comes to dealing with Russia.

Linkevičius is a stand-out Kremlin critic within European politics who believes that compromising with Russia only plays into Putin’s hands. For Linkevičius, the build up of Russian troops on the borders of Europe proves his point: Russia is biding its time waiting for the right moment to strike. But his warnings appear to fall on deaf ears when it comes to persuading Brussels to ditch its softly-softly approach on facing up to Putin.

Linkevičius sees little value in talks with Russia if Nato or Western allies have no clear understanding of their own goals.