In Vilnius, Lithuania, it is important to recognize that many Americans and Europeans have a false perception of the war in Ukraine. We often believe that we are the ones sacrificing for the Ukrainians, providing them with expensive weapons and supporting them financially, while expecting them to quickly resolve the conflict. However, the reality is quite the opposite: the Ukrainians are actually sacrificing for us. Their efforts to degrade the Russian military and reduce the risk of a war in Europe benefit us, as it prevents the loss of our troops’ lives.
Egils Levits, former president of Latvia, emphasized during his final interview before leaving office that our support for Ukraine is a means of defending ourselves. He advocates for providing Ukraine with more weapons to ensure the recovery of its territories, including Crimea, in order to discredit Putin’s aggression.
While the recent NATO summit successfully added Sweden to the alliance and displayed unity, the true test lies in whether Western countries will increase their arms transfers to Ukraine and effectively bring an end to the war. Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, rightly asserts that we all need to do more. Although President Biden effectively managed the alliance, there is room for improvement in providing Ukraine with the necessary weaponry, such as precision long-range missiles and fighter aircraft.
In contrast to many in Germany and Western Europe, the Baltic countries, namely Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, recognized Putin’s aggressive nature early on. They have a unique perspective due to their history of Soviet rule and the subsequent struggle for independence. Prime Minister Kallas firmly believes that it is essential to make Putin fail and hold him accountable for war crimes through a trial.
The Baltic countries are motivated to support Ukraine because they fear that they could be the next targets if Ukraine falls. Estonia has contributed a significant amount to Ukraine’s war effort, and Kallas expresses her desire for other countries to provide more substantial and timely arms transfers rather than sporadic assistance.
There is concern about provoking Putin into using tactical nuclear weapons, which has influenced Biden’s cautious approach in providing certain weaponry to Ukraine. However, both Levits and Kallas dismiss this argument, emphasizing that provocation comes from weakness rather than strength. They advocate for the West to offer more weaponry, including cluster bombs, to help Ukraine succeed.
Kallas warns against sending signals that threatening with nuclear weapons can lead to achieving desired outcomes, as this would encourage dictators to pursue nuclear capabilities and create a more dangerous world. While we celebrate the success of the NATO summit, we must not undermine the price we are paying and the support we are providing to Ukraine. The Baltic leaders, with their firsthand experience in managing Russian aggression, offer valuable insights that should be heeded.
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