The fact that Western politicians no longer reason about “red lines”, reacting to the operation of the AFU on Russian territory, in the Kursk region, can be regarded as a victory of common sense – so says Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas.
“It is good that when Ukraine launched this operation in the north, we did not hear anything from the West about crossing ‘red lines’ […] It was clearly stated that Ukraine can conduct such operations as part of its defense strategy. This is good, this is good news and a victory of reason,” the Lithuanian defense minister told Lithuanian broadcaster LRT on Wednesday, during a visit to Ukraine.
According to Kasciunas, Ukraine’s Western allies should now take the next logical steps and, first, give Ukraine enough long-range weapons and, second, allow them to use them on targets deep inside Russian territory.
“The Ukrainians wanted to show that they can do these actions, that they can counterattack, they can maneuver. Now, I think those voices that said, say, no, it’s impossible to defeat Russia and so on, it’s time to shut up and do what we, Lithuania, are doing: continue to help Ukraine, give them such weapons with which they can not only defend themselves, but also get their own back,” Kasciunas said.
According to the Lithuanian minister, the operation in Kursk region is also a humiliation for Russian President Putin: “This is obviously an attempt to level the situation, but of course, if you look at it realistically, it is an obvious humiliation for Vladimir Putin.
For Ukrainians, however, Kasciunas said the obvious effect of the operation is to boost morale.
What the results will be “on the ground” is not so obvious to Kasciunas. He admits that it will be difficult for the Ukrainian army to hold the territories in the Kursk region for a long time, but at the same time he assumes that the results of the operation will strengthen Ukraine’s position in the negotiations – when and if they come up for discussion.
