( Observer Network ) On October 8 local time, the Ukrainian National News Agency (Ukrinform) released a video and an exclusive interview with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Rants Bergis. The two sides discussed a series of topics such as Ukraine's ways to join NATO , energy security, and Western weapons supply. During
, when talking about weapons supply, Foreign Minister Rants Bergis of Liberty said with a firm face that NATO countries used all weapons to arm Ukraine, "there is no reason not to provide Ukraine with everything we have, and all our (weapons) stocks need to be opened to the Ukrainian army." But immediately, he added that Lithuania is happy to provide "political arguments" because "we do not have a large (weapons) stocks ourselves."
Screenshot of the exclusive interview with Ukrainian State News Agency
The interview with Ukrainian State News Agency against Foreign Minister Rants Bergis lasted for nearly 25 minutes. The reporter Ievgen Matiushenko connected to Rants Bergis online, and the two sides talked about the current situation in Russia and Ukraine and the future of Ukraine in a question-and-answer manner.
At the beginning of the interview, Matthew Henko thanked Rants Bergis himself and Lithuania for their strong support for Ukraine, and Rants Bergis later talked about the reasons why the country supported Ukraine. He claimed that for 30 years, Lithuania has been one of those countries that say Russia is a "threat." But saying these words alone cannot make Lithuania safer. Therefore, when the Russian-Ukraine war broke out, "we are very keen to help Ukraine win because it makes us safer and ensures the safety of the entire region."
Rants Bergis' remarks show his "anti-Russia" position. "Russia Today" (RT) TV once pointed out that since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, Rants Bergis has become one of the most anti-Russian ministerial officials in the EU countries. RT said he threatened to retaliate against Lithuanian artists performing in Russia, support the EU-wide ban on Russian visas, and called on NATO to seek to defeat Russia militarily rather than negotiate a settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Therefore, when Matthew Henko later asked whether the West was preparing to provide Ukraine with some other types of major equipment, such as main battle tanks, aircraft, more air defense system , or equipped with new types of ammunition, Rants Bergis immediately agreed and replied that NATO countries should arm Ukraine with all available weapons.
Lantz Bergis claimed that Lithuania has been saying on all possible levels that “Ukraine needs everything we have” rather than giving anything like “we only give you javelins and stinger missiles” because Lithuania believes that the Ukrainian army is “obviously” capable of using NATO weapons.
For this reason, he secretly criticized some of his allies, saying that they would say that some weapons were too technologically advanced and “cannot teach and train Ukrainian soldiers.” Rants Bergis also said he even heard some people say that the weapons and equipment could be "lost" or "destroyed" by the Ukrainian army.
It should be noted that Germany has repeatedly refused to provide Ukraine with main battle tanks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kureba even tweeted on September 13, "What makes Berlin scared, and Kiev is not afraid?" German Chancellor Scholz later talked about the reason in an interview with the US " New York Times ", bluntly stated that Germany does not want to escalate the war into a war between Russia and NATO, and emphasized that "Germany has done a lot for Ukraine."
Nevertheless, Rants Bergis insisted in this interview that “these statements are no longer valid” as the Ukrainian army has made recent progress on the battlefield. He further claimed, "If they are no longer effective, I don't think there is any reason not to provide Ukraine with everything we have. I have said before, now I repeat that all our (weapons) stocks need to be opened to the Ukrainian army."
Although he claimed that the Ukrainian army was capable of using NATO weapons, Rants Bergis immediately added that if Ukrainian side needs training, they now have a training platform. “Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in many countries.As far as I know, Josep Boreli (High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy of the EU) has mentioned that every European country is now involved in training Ukrainian soldiers. ”
Regarding Rants Bergis' remarks that strongly support Ukraine, reporter Matthew Henko did not forget to remind other countries while flattering, "I hope that your colleagues in the EU and across the Atlantic can be as determined as you." ”
Lantz Bergis smiled with his arms after hearing this sentence. After laughing, he turned his head and slapped his fists on the table, showing some "unhelpful" meaning.
"Well, you know, we are keen to provide political arguments for this. But unfortunately, we don't have a lot of stocks ourselves. ”
The interview with Rants Bergis was noticed by RT. The Russian media reported on the 8th that although Lithuania does not have enough weapons to donate to Ukraine, Rants Bergis believes that other countries should donate, "He hopes that allies will 'pay the bill' for this. ”
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