Recognising Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea would be “a time bomb” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says. Seimas Speaker Saulius Skvernelis insists it will threaten “the world order”. “If we do what is being proposed and recognise Crimea as part of Russia de jure, it will be a time bomb that will explode again and again,” President Nausėda told reporters in Rome on Friday.
“So, in this case, the red lines are there to ensure that they are not crossed,” Nausėda insisted. Last Wednesday, US President Donald Trump criticised Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to acknowledge Russia’s control of Crimea as part of a potential settlement. Gitanas Nausėda | S. Lisauskas / BNS “Do they [Ukrainians] not have the right to express their very important opinion on these proposals?
And they have expressed it, I heard it from President Volodymyr Zelensky, and I understand him perfectly well. I understand that only such a position would be understandable to the people of Ukraine and, ultimately, to all the forces of good in the world,” Nausėda said. According to him, Ukraine’s stance on Crimea is of paramount importance as the country most affected by the war.
“Because it is the country that has suffered the most brutal losses, where many innocent people who did not participate in combat operations have been killed, infrastructure has been destroyed, and the economy has been destroyed,” the Lithuanian leader said. Trump is putting pressure on Ukraine and Russia to agree on a ceasefire. It is believed that his proposals include territorial concessions, including recognition of Russian control over Crimea by the United States.
Threat to the current ‘world order’ Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Skvernelis said that ceding Crimea to Russia would pose a threat to international order. “The world order that was established after World War Two, the principle of the inviolability of borders, would be broken by such a precedent. Then territorial claims could be made all over Europe,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Saulius Skvernelis | V. Raupelis / LRT “There is probably not a single state that does not have some kind of former conflict over territory with its neighbour,” he added. The worst thing would be for such a precedent to be “confirmed by the argument of force”, he insisted. “I seized it, and the international community recognises that.
This cannot be allowed to happen; it is a very dangerous moment that could lead to numerous regional conflicts,” the parliamentary speaker noted.
