Vice President of European Commission: if we don't support Ukraine, the Baltic states will be next
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European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis believes that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, his next victims could be Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Politico reported this.
The European Commissioner for Trade, who grew up in the Soviet Union and draws on his experience as Latvia's prime minister, said the EU should take Russia's threat seriously after years of Brussels' ambiguous stance on Moscow.
"If we do not support Ukraine, it will not stop in Ukraine. Obviously, Putin is now in an aggressive military mood, and, unfortunately, it is likely that this aggression will continue in other countries," he said.
When asked if he meant Moldova, Dombrovskis named the Baltic states: "If you look at the escalation of Russia's aggressive rhetoric and even statements that Russia supports Belarus' interests in accessing the Baltic Sea, and growing anti-Baltic rhetoric, in the case of Ukraine, it also began with the intensification of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric."
The prediction that the Baltic states may be next in Putin's field of view after the invasion of Ukraine reflects the level of concern in some circles of the European Commission about Putin's next step. Dombrovskis has long warned of a threat from the Russian president.
Recognizing Russia's serious nuclear threat, Dombrovskis warns against reassuring the Russian leader.
"The question is to what extent we are exposed to this blackmail because it can be used constantly against everything. Putin will continue his aggressive wars, he will always use this blackmail. These are lessons that should have been learned earlier. Rapprochement of the aggressor does not work, and the aggressor must be stopped by all means," he said.
