Former President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite responds to the recent developments in Ukraine and sanctions adopted by the EU against Russia, noting that sanctions will not stop Putin whatever they may be.
"It is beginning to look like it.
Sanctions will not stop Putin whatever they may be. They are necessary but without any exceptions such as those we see in SWIFT cut-offs or the energy sector and the banks that serve it...
Only a war that has already been launched can stop another war. There is no need to pretend and try to appease our conscience by supplying Ukraine with nothing but arms, and too late at that. The people of Ukraine are fighting the war for us and the children of Ukraine are shielding us from putin's madness.
Repeating the mantra that NATO cannot help Ukraine already sounds pathetic and shows the cowardice of the West.
Putin sees it too. Although it is learning fast, the West still does not understand that there is a European war going on in Ukraine. Either you participate in it and fight the aggressor or become an accomplice to war crimes by just standing and watching it Ukraine and its people being destroyed. Yes, an accomplice.
If we do not stop Putin in Ukraine, we will still have to fight a war, but in our countries.
Ukraine is asking for real help, while we are watching residential areas blown down on our TV screens and keep saying that we "strongly support Ukraine".
I am ashamed to hear NATO leaders and officials muttering that they 'cannot get involved in a conflict'. But we did it in Syria, Libya, Africa, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan, didn’t we?
Today, Ukraine is fighting for the survival of its nation and for the peace of Europe. Are we going to just continue watching an independent state being destroyed?
Slava Ukraine! Glory be to her heroes, and so far only to her heroes because there are no others on the horizon", - She writes.
