A politician from Putin’s party proposes that Russia withdraw its approval of Lithuania’s independence. He believes that this could affect Lithuania’s NATO membership.
Less than 20 minutes ago
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The Kremlin has not yet commented on the proposal. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the “Do not know about the initiative”reports Tass.
But the politician behind the proposal, Yevgeny Fyodorov, belongs to the United Russia party, according to Tass Putin.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis is furious and calls the Russian government “animals”. President Gitanas Nausėda’s office says they will not even comment on anything so “absurd”.
It was in March 1991 that the Soviet Union recognized Lithuania as an independent start. Lithuania had been part of the communist superpower since World War II.
In the early 1990s, the Soviet Union was divided into 15 independent states, including the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The politician behind the proposal tells Tass that Russia through the constitution is now the Soviet Union’s legal successor.
– Therefore, it becomes necessary to regulate legal matters from the time that affects the current situation, says Fyodorov, and then continues:
– For Lithuania, for example, is a member of NATO. And in accordance with Article 6 of the NATO Treaty, disputed legal entities may not be members of the Alliance.
Among other things, it is this argument that is used against Ukraine being able to join NATO now.
Fyodorov believes that Lithuania’s independence did not take place “according to the book” legally. He sent his proposal to withdraw Lithuania approval to the Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday night:
–“The Soviet Council of State in 1991 did not have the right to change the territorial integrity of the Soviet Union and relinquish the territories,” Fyodorov told Gazeta.ru.
– Our task now is to get the crimes committed under Gorbachev in order, Fyodorov continues.
So far, there have been few comments from Russian political parties. Political scientist Alexander Nosovich, on the other hand, tells Pravda:
– If Russia does not recognize Lithuania’s independence, it will be a serious response to the current hostility that the Lithuanian leadership allows itself towards Moscow. Russia has recognized the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. So why not go in the opposite direction and not recognize Lithuania or Latvia as independent countries?
–Lithuania’s Gabrielius Landsbergis, on the other hand, has fired the cannon:
“Only a state ruled by animals could start a war like the one Russia started,” said the foreign minister.
– I am not surprised that they (the Russians) in politics do not behave according to human standards. We must respond accordingly – be ready to defend ourselves both by ourselves and with our partners, by political, diplomatic or other means.
He has not specified what he means by “other means”. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the grandson of Vytautas Landsbergis, who was central to Lithuania’s independence just over 30 years ago.
Rights of Russian speakers
Vladimir Evseev, head of the Caucasus branch of the Institute of Commonwealth of Independent States, told Moskovsky Komsomolets, quoted by Jerusalem Postthat a repeal of Lithuania’s independence also means that they no longer recognize Lithuania’s borders.
– We have many demands against Lithuania, especially when it comes to the rights of the Russian-speaking part of the population, Evseev says.
– Secondly, there is talk of a corridor through Lithuanian territory to Kaliningrad.
Kaliningrad is a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea.
Lithuania is the country of the three Baltics with the lowest proportion of ethnic Russians. According to the CIA, it is five percent.
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