Vaira Vike-Freiberga, ex-president of Latvia, has criticized French President Francois Hollande’s recent statement that he wants sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine to be lifted.
“I was shocked by it,” she told the Kyiv Post late on Sept. 10 at the Yalta European Strategy forum in Kyiv. “I think it was inappropriate. If he thinks of lifting the sanctions, I think it’s wrong.”
Hollande said earlier this month he would advocate lifting the sanctions if there is progress in peace talks.
Freiberga, president from 1999 to 2007 and Latvia’s first female president, disagreed with Holland’s soft stance. She said that Russia is disrupting the Feb. 12 Minsk deal by not allowing international observers to monitor the Russian-Ukrainian border.
She also called the Minsk deadlines for Ukrainian constitutional amendments on Donbas’ autonomy unrealistic. The amendments are expected to be passed by the end of this year, according to the deal.
“If Russia were to observe (the Minsk agreement) literally and to the letter, it will be a big step forward,” she said. “It remains to be seen if Russia is able to actually do it.”
She lambasted France’s deal to sell Mistral aircraft carriers to Russia and welcomed its cancellation.
“Mistral was an insane thing in the first place,” Freiberga said. “Sticking those things in the Baltic Sea is like putting regular (troops) to invade one of the Baltic countries. It’s completely absurd.”
Freiberga also lashed out at the United Nations for failing to counteract Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“I think the Europeans did rather well (to oppose Russia),” “It’s the United Nations that’s totally dysfunctional because the Security Council has Russia sitting on it and, while Russia’s sitting on it, the Security Council is going to be useless.”
She said Europe had “regrouped” and managed to impose costs on Russia after being “taken aback by what happened – by the audacity and illegality of Russian actions.”
“Russia will always bear a stigma of a country that has gone against the established international law and order,” Freiberga said.
She also warned that Europe should be cautious when reaching any kind of deal on Ukraine with Russia.
“I think Russians are looking forward to such a possibility, Freiberga said. “It remains to be seen whether Europeans will be awake, will not fall asleep on their feet and will think a bit ahead and keep vigilant. If they think ‘it’s none of our business, let’s put it all behind’, let me remind them that (Ukraine) is pretty much a European country.”
Similarly to the war against Ukraine, the Kremlin has used “elements of the hybrid war” in the Baltic states over the last 20 years by financing pro-Russian politicians, she said.
But NATO has repeatedly said that an attack on a Baltic state would be tantamount to an attack on the entire alliance, she added.
“Let them pour their money down the drain as long as they wish but they can’t invade us because they will be very sorry if they do,” Freiberga said.
She added that the Kremlin’s attempts to destabilize Latvia were disrupted by the Russian community being well integrated into Latvian society.
“We have a Russian as the mayor of Riga, some of the richest men in Latvia are Russians,” Freiberga said. “So they are very happy. As long as we can keep our Russian population happy, we don’t have to worry about it.”
Kyiv Post staff writer Oleg Sukhov and Ilya Timtchenko can be reached at [email protected].
