Latvian PM Kulbergs: Russia Is in No Position to Make Security Demands of Europe, Which Is the Stronger Military Power
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said after an informal meeting of European leaders in Dublin on November 13 that Russia is “not in a position” to seek new security arrangements from Europe, because Europe is far bigger in military strength, economy and leadership. He also questioned the ongoing Ukraine peace negotiations, describing them as “not real peace talks” and warning that folding Europe's wider security architecture into the talks could be a trap.
According to Agence France-Presse, President Trump's team has proposed including discussions on broader European security arrangements in efforts to halt the war, while Russia appears to want to revive hardline demands to roll back NATO, drawing strong pushback from European leaders meeting in Dublin. “Europe is the military power. Europe is times bigger in military, times bigger in economy, and in leadership. So I think they are not in a position to really put on a table demands,” Kulbergs said. “We should understand who is who, in size and capabilities,” he added.
Kulbergs said he did not believe President Putin wanted real peace, noting that after two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, Russia was stepping up attacks on Ukrainian homes, hospitals and essential infrastructure. “If Putin wants real peace, then cease fire,” he said, calling on the United States to put more pressure on Russia. He urged European governments to give Ukraine stronger military and financial support, including using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's defence and releasing more air-defence interceptors from their stockpiles.
Reported Russian demands at the Abu Dhabi talks have drawn similar pushback from other leaders, including Finland's, as GSM has reported.
(Source: Agence France-Presse)
Source: Agence France-Presse
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于里加的拉脱维亚共和国议会大厦资料图。照片：Jorge Láscar 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: File photo of the Saeima, the parliament of Latvia, in Riga. Photo by Jorge Lascar, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
