EU Turns Its Back on Lithuania, Poland on Policy Toward Russia
Posted November 12th, 2008 at 8.31am in American Leadership.
European Union ministers are pressuring Poland and Lithuania to endorse the EU’s business-as-usual approach toward Russia, despite the fact that Russia remains in violation of the EU-negotiated truce over the Russian-Georgian war. The EU apparently wants to have Poland and Lithuania on board for this scurrilous betrayal, so that it is seen to “speak with one voice” on foreign policy.
Poland and Lithuania are right to stick to their guns on this one and put their principles above political expediency, not to mention their own security. Russia recently announced that it will deploy short-range missiles in the Baltic outpost of Kaliningrad, which lies between Poland and Lithuania.
It is shameful that fellow EU members are turning their backs on Warsaw and Vilnius in favor of an increasingly aggressive and authoritarian regime. Then again, the EU has ignored the peoples of France, Holland and Ireland who rejected the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty in free and fair referenda, so it should come as no surprise that EU elites’ ears are closed to newer EU members.
- Author: Sally McNamara
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November 12, 2008 Gilbert, Largo writes:
The Russian-Georgian problem has its roots in the (expected former) US politics towards the Caucasian nations with oil. A politics which did not take into account the European position. Europe, instead, as it depends on Russian natural gas (50% of the whole supplies) is the very first “victim” of such a politics.
On 9/11 you had a small part of New York destroyed, Europe has seen its towns alike Caen, Varsaw, Berlin, practically wiped out, cleaned as in Caen you could see from one side of the “former” city to the other , no one building standing up. Europe does not intend to get into a new war just for some oil drops or gas containers.
Europe prefers a bad agreement than a war.
You should have as well mentioned that Europe is now already buying some natural gas to Iran but, what will be the US former administration, is a bit too stubborn to get that by all means Europe will avoid getting involved in any war. Iraqi hidden reality is already too much.
Obviously, Russia in some way, “provoked” the Georgian attack as Georgia felt itself supported by USA but did not figure out the limit of such a support.
Poland and Baltic countries are now afraid having to face the same problem than Georgia while they saw the limits of the US support.