Lukas Degutis

Lukas Degutis

Lukas Degutis is The Spectator's editorial manager in New York.

The EU’s weak response to Russian aggression plays into Putin’s hands

From our UK edition

The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell is in Ukraine today. His mission? To show solidarity with Kiev in the face of Russian aggression. But the visit is too little too late. Former Soviet states, such as Ukraine, have grown used to the lofty rhetoric and empty gestures of their EU. The reality is that when it really matters, the West is failing to stick up for its allies. Linas Linkevičius, Lithuania’s former minister of foreign affairs, says it's time for Brussels – and the rest of the West – to change tack when it comes to dealing with Russia. Linkevičius is a stand-out Kremlin critic within European politics who believes that compromising with Russia only plays into Putin's hands.