Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister: "Ukraine can no longer rely on U.S. aid – swift agreements come at a higher price."

Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis assessed the events surrounding and during the Munich Security Conference held on February 14-15.

As is known, ahead of the conference, news broke about a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Putin, during which, according to Trump, an agreement was reached to start peace negotiations "immediately." Additionally, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, speaking at the conference, accused Europe of limiting freedom of speech due to its unwillingness to cooperate with the far-right party "Alternative for Germany."

“I am once again leaving the Munich Security Conference in a bad mood. Amid all the noise, the U.S. has made its plans for Europe public, making everything clearer. However, the situation is clearly not good,” – wrote he on X.

Landsbergis asserts that Ukraine can no longer rely on U.S. assistance.

“The U.S. president wants a deal, and he wants it quickly. Quick deals are more costly for the buyer, but the U.S. is unwilling to pay for it. Thus, in the end, Ukraine will have to bear the costs.

“The U.S. no longer wants to be the primary security guarantor in Europe. Discussions are underway regarding a partial withdrawal of troops and a clear shift of priorities to other continents. The current U.S. administration no longer views Europe as it once did – it considers itself tied to movements in Europe that are interested in dismantling the EU,” he notes.

He is contemplating several possible scenarios.

“There is a high likelihood that the meeting between Putin and Trump will end in an agreement. Putin is in a position to make demands. He may demand elections, the occupied territories, and Ukraine's neutrality. If Trump agrees, Putin will declare complete victory. This is what he wanted to achieve and has done so, he will say. Let’s not forget that the threat of additional sanctions was only mentioned if Putin did not agree to negotiate – but he will agree,” claims the former minister.

According to him, Trump will present Europe with a fait accompli.

He believes that at this stage, if Europe disagrees with the agreement, it could take on the responsibility of organizing its own negotiations and actively participate in them.

“If the U.S. distances itself from Europe, Ukraine will be forced to rely on itself and a smaller group of allies who will continue to provide support. Threats to European security will grow significantly. Putin will become bolder, which means more war in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and beyond,” asserts Landsbergis.

He also suggests that China could step in to fill the vacant position of a security guarantor on the continent, and cooperation between Ukraine and China could even be more beneficial for Ukraine than with the U.S. However, such a scenario would be catastrophic for European security, he warns.

Europe is fully capable of adapting and handling this challenge, but the key issue here is the question of political will or its absence. Indecision leads only in one direction, he concluded.

Background. As reported, J.D. Vance criticized Romania in Munich for canceling the election results in which a pro-Russian candidate won. He stated that “the threat does not come from Russia or China, but from within Europe itself,” which does not respect freedom of speech.