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Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas believes that European countries should not repeat the mistake of 2016 and create a barrier with the newly elected U.S. president, Donald Trump, but instead work together on issues of common interest.
Kasčiūnas made this statement in an interview with the Associated Press.
In his view, after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, when Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, European states “somewhat wrongly” built a “moral wall” against the Republican.
“I think this was the wrong approach,” Kasčiūnas said.
He believes that as U.S. president, Trump would once again apply a “contractual approach to our relations,” and Europe should collaborate with him on areas of shared interest: increasing defense investments, Europeans purchasing American weapons, and cooperating on countering China and Iran.
The Lithuanian Minister also emphasized that Europe’s military aid to Ukraine should continue and that Russia should not dictate the terms of peace.
In contrast, a limited ceasefire in Ukraine – an idea reportedly pushed by Trump’s circle – makes no sense, Kasčiūnas said, as it would only allow Russian forces to recover from losses and launch new strikes.
“We need a just peace, a peace that is worthy of trust,” concluded the Lithuanian Defense Minister.
Earlier, Kasčiūnas, commenting on the results of the U.S. presidential elections, stated that he would have voted for Donald Trump if he had the right to do so.
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