When French President Emmanuel Macron flies to Lithuania on Monday for a three-day trip to the Baltics, he will be heading to the frontline of skepticism toward his Russia strategy.
His trip, which will also include a visit to Latvia, comes at a particularly tense time between the EU and Moscow.
Although the visit was scheduled long before protests erupted in neighboring Belarus, and before the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny (which Moscow denies involvement in), these events — and Russia’s behavior more generally — will permeate much of Macron’s discussions.
In Lithuania, which borders Russia and hosts one of four NATO “enhanced forward presence” (eFP) battlegroups intended to deter Moscow, including a newly deployed French contingent, Macron’s dialogue with Russia is of particular concern.
“The so-called new architecture of security that France wants to develop with Russia is sensitive for us, because it’s a bilateral conversation discussing a multilateral issue,” said a Lithuanian government official ahead of Macron’s visit.
As was the case when Macron visited Poland in February, addressing concerns about Russia will be at the heart of the president’s approach, according to officials in his office.
“It will be an opportunity not only to listen to our partners’ sensitivities, in particular on Russia, but also to discuss with them the best way to go forward, so that not only their interests but the European interest is taken into consideration in the next steps,” an Elysée official said.
Source : Agencies
