Lithuanian FM says impunity enabled Russian aggression against Georgia and Ukraine

The denial of past crimes and the lack of accountability inspired Russia to carry out acts of aggression against Georgia in 2008 and against Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a diplomatic conference in The Hague, Budrys said one of the underlying reasons for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions was the absence of punishment for the Soviet Union - and its successor, Russia - for the occupation of the Baltic states in the 1940s.

“Our history teaches us how vital reparations and accountability for international crimes are. At the time, under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, there were no reparations for the Soviet occupation of Lithuania and the other Baltic states. Now Putin and his regime act as if these crimes never happened”, he said.

Budrys added the creation of an international commission on Ukraine would send a message to Russia that aggression will be met with responsibility.