[INTERVIEW] Lithuania's top envoy asks Korea to step up for Ukraine

Korean weapons could help Ukraine turn the corner in its war against Russia, said Gabrielius Landsbergis, foreign minister of Lithuania during a visit to Seoul on Wednesday.

“If Korea would find a possibility to support [Ukraine] with lethal weapons, it could [play] a part in Ukrainian victory that could, in turn, stabilize the European continent, at least in the short- to mid-term,” said Landsbergis, meeting with the press at the Lithuanian Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday at the start of his three-day trip.

His visit, the first by a foreign minister from Lithuania in 17 years, came shortly after the U.S. and Germany decided to send fighting vehicles to Ukraine, and as the British government mulls sending tanks into Ukraine for the first time since the start of the war.

Landsbergis stressed that such actions – supplying Ukraine with more capable weapons – are a recipe for victory, a goal that must be achieved to put a stop to the Russian imperialist agenda before it spills beyond Ukraine.

“If Russia succeeds and claims some sorts of victories in Ukraine, then it could potentially escalate [the war] and several targets have been mentioned, even the Baltics,” he said. “Who knows if Russia would decide to check whether NATO’s commitment is really as ironclad as it's being said.”

The Baltic nation is hosting a NATO summit in July. The alliance may decide to invite Indo-Pacific countries such as Korea and Japan, as it did last year.

Lithuania, occupied by the Soviet Union for nearly 50 years and since then frankly critical of Russia's revisionist outlook, began to wean itself off of Russian energy earlier than other countries in Europe, partly thanks to its ties with Korea.

“A part of Lithuanian independence was manufactured here,” Landsbergis said, making a pun on the name of the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2014.  

The floating LNG terminal was given the name Independence in a naming ceremony in Ulsan that year, attended by the president of Lithuania. Lithuania was the first member of the European Union to cut out Russian gas last year in protest of its invasion of Ukraine.

Traveling with a business delegation representing Lithuanian laser, electronic vehicle and LNG industries, Landsbergis was scheduled to meet with executives of Samsung and SK, as well as Foreign Minister Park Jin on Friday before concluding his trip.

Taiwan will no doubt be part of their conversations, Landsbergis said. Lithuania has enjoyed expanding trade with Taiwan in recent years -- at a cost of economic fall-out with China.  

“China chose to cut trade ties with Lithuania, basically forcing us to decouple,” said the top envoy. “But not only did we not lose, but with the help of new partnerships between businesses and politically between countries, we've truly diversified.”

Trade between Lithuania and Korea jumped 35 percent between January and November of last year, reaching 197 million euros ($211.6 million), according to the Lithuanian Embassy in Seoul. 

The two countries celebrated their 30th anniversary in ties in 2021, also the year that Lithuania opened its embassy in Seoul.

To hear more about the Lithuanian outlook on the security and economic crises in Europe and Asia, and where its partnership with Korea fits into the picture, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Landsbergis at the Lithuanian Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday. The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

What prompted your visit to Korea, the first by a Lithuanian foreign minister in nearly two decades?

Lithuania has set out to build on new economic and political partnerships in the region. Our trade with Korea has really picked up its pace, and during my visit I will be meeting with business titans here including Samsung Display to find new partnerships. Our laser technology has been involved in the production of Samsung phones, but we want to expand our partnership and find more opportunities to collaborate with Korea. There is a growing trend of belief that having partners who are like-minded in their attitude towards democracy, human rights and multilateralism provides security for everybody involved, and Lithuania is a strong believer in this.

Taiwan is set to invest some 10 million euros in chip production in Lithuania. How will Lithuania’s mix of trade with Korea, another global chipmaker, compare to the one it has with Taiwan?

Our belief is that trade works best when we collaborate. Lithuania, like Korea, is a country of high-tech, and our laser technology is sought after globally. Taiwan, like Korea, is a like-minded partner, an example on human rights and democracy. Our economic relations are not just for pragmatic reasons, but also to support democracies worldwide.

Vilnius is hosting the NATO summit in July. Will Korea and other non-NATO countries be invited? How important do you think it is to have Indo-Pacific representation at the summit?

Lithuania is very supportive of Korea being invited as [one of] the four Asia-Pacific countries at the summit. The security dynamics are quite different in Europe and Asia compared to, say, 10 years ago. Then, Russia was not among the threats mentioned in NATO papers. Today, we’re also talking about issues concerning China. Our security in the North Atlantic has been affected by the events that take place here. North Korea, Taiwan and China issues will be discussed in my meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin.

Russia’s military capacity has been put to a test in its war in Ukraine. Is there any likelihood that the war in Ukraine might be over before the summit?

The war will be over as soon as Ukraine is able to win it. For Ukraine to win the war, it needs to get all the weaponry that it requires to do that. If the allies step up and send the tanks and the long-range artillery that Ukrainians need, then I think we can expect the war to get shorter and end faster.

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Korean parliament last April, he asked for antiaircraft military support. Korea has only supported Ukraine with humanitarian assistance.

We understand that countries have different approaches when it comes to supporting Ukraine and we respect the debate [on support to Ukraine] that’s been taking place in Korea. But if Korea would find a possibility to support [Ukraine] with lethal weapons, it could [play] a part in Ukrainian victory that could, in turn, stabilize the European continent in the short- to mid-term.

How confident can the rest of the world be about the NATO commitment to collective defense? Will it be enough to stop Russia from opening a second front in the war in Europe?

I would not exclude [the possibility]. Russia is facing economic internal pressures, and it is doing worse now [since the war], so in order to offset the pressures, they may find external challenges to overcome. We need to concentrate on assisting Ukraine, because it’s not just about Ukraine. It’s about getting Europe back to safety and stability.

Where is this all going for Russia?

[The Russian invasion of Ukraine] is the beginning of the end of Russia as we know it. I don’t have the time frame, but I don’t see this ending well for Russia. Its isolation will cost so much and it will have consequences for decades to come, not just for the regime but, unfortunately, for every Russian living in the country. [With the sanctions in place,] the world is growing more independent of Russia. We had to pay a high price for a short period of time, but the world is readapting.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [[email protected]]