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Ingrida Šimonytė on Thursday in Berlin: Putin “will escalate as much as he can”

Photo: dts news agency / IMAGO

Russia must be kept in the dark, says Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and does not completely rule out the use of Western troops to support Ukraine.

"I know that this is a controversial debate in some capitals," explained the head of government in the "Handelsblatt".

And right now Ukraine is asking for weapons, not combat troops.

“However, we could also support them with personnel – with border protection, with the training of soldiers at home, with mine clearance, air defense, logistics,” says Šimonytė.

"It's a question of will."

French President Emmanuel Macron brought up the use of ground troops at the end of February - and thereby sparked a controversy.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeatedly distanced himself clearly from Macron's statement.

However, Macron did not aim to take part in combat operations, as advisors from the Élysée quickly specified.

Rather, it is about the discussion about soldiers who can maintain and look after weapon systems.

Or who could help with mine clearance and securing the Belarusian border.

"What I appreciate about Macron's statement is that it leaves Putin unclear about how far we are willing to go," said Šimonytė.

She had already made a similar statement in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Friday.

She shares the goal of Macron's statement to create "strategic ambiguity."

Regarding the German Taurus debate, the Lithuanian Prime Minister explained in the "Handelsblatt" that she could not judge whether German soldiers would have to go to Ukraine to use the cruise missiles.

"But if the argument is just that we shouldn't escalate the situation, then I don't agree with that."

Because Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't care whether the West escalates.

“He will escalate as much as he can,” said Šimonytė.

»If we get involved in this and keep drawing new red lines for ourselves, at some point Putin will have pushed us into a corner and all we can say is: Sorry, we'll be nice now.

That’s my main concern.”

Macron: “No strategic divergences”

Despite the recent differences over Ukraine's course, Emmanuel Macron does not see himself in a conflict with Scholz.

»There was never any trouble between the Chancellor and me.

“We have a lot in common in terms of goals and the situation,” Macron told the newspaper “Le Parisien” (Sunday edition) after the Berlin meeting with Scholz.

"Only the way they are translated is different because the strategic cultures of our countries are different." Germany has a culture of great caution and non-intervention, while France has nuclear weapons and has maintained and expanded a professional army.

Macron said he suggested the meeting with Scholz on Friday, which was followed by a three-way conversation with the new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, to Scholz two weeks ago.

"I wanted to come to Germany very quickly so that there would be no debate about supposedly existing strategic divergences: they don't exist."

sun/dpa