‘Looks like Munich 1938': Eastern bloc hits out at US sympathy for Putin's anti-Nato demands

Independent

a day ago

The Trump administration's sympathy for Moscow's anti-Nato demands has been likened to Nazi appeasement as parts of the alliance's eastern bloc warn the US is priming non-members for invasion.
Top officials from four Eastern European countries have hit out after Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, appeared to support Vladimir Putin's reported demand to have in writing that Nato will not accept any new members from the region.
In an interview with US network ABC News, Mr Kellogg described Putin's latest position as a 'fair' one that was likely to include not just Ukraine but also Georgia and Moldova. His comments prompted the Kremlin on Friday to say they were 'glad' that Putin's opposition to Nato was finally 'being met with understanding' from Washington.
A senior Lithuanian official, granted anonymity so they could speak freely, told The Independent that any cooperation between Trump and Putin to block nations who are fearful of Russia from joining Nato would be a dangerous repeat of history.
'It looks like Munich, when great powers decide the fate of small ones,' the official said, referencing the 1938 agreement between Adolf Hitler, the UK, France and Italy that ultimately led to Nazi Germany invading Czechoslovakia.
The official added that blocking Moldova and Georgia's Nato membership was a signal to Putin that they would not be defended. It also casts doubt on the alliance's independence, the official said.
'Russia is trying to get what they were looking for in 2022, a buffer zone,' the official added. 'But this zone could soon become part of Russia if the Kremlin sees that nobody is defending them.'
Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and six years later began its attempted takeover of Ukraine, initially by illegally annexing Crimea. Moscow has also stationed more than a thousand troops in the Moldovan region of Transnistria, sparking fears that Moldova could be the next target for the Kremlin.
Olga Rosca, foreign policy advisor to the Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, said Russia is already 'violating our neutrality'.
When asked by The Independent if Chisinau was concerned about Kellogg's comments and their ability to join Nato being blocked, Rosca said: 'Moldova is a constitutionally neutral country. This is a position made clear both domestically and internationally.
'The only country violating our neutrality is the Russian Federation, which continues to station troops illegally on our sovereign territory, against our will and in defiance of international law.'
Estonian president Alar Karis said the country's position on Nato expansion was clear: 'Every country has the right to choose its own security arrangements. Ukraine's future is in Nato.'
Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister for the Czech Republic, also hit back at Mr Kellogg's comments late last night. 'Nato expansion is in the interest of Russian security,' he wrote on X. 'There is no war where Russia borders Nato countries. There is war elsewhere.'
Their commentary comes ahead of the next round of direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, which the former has proposed takes place in Istanbul next week. However, Ukraine has accused its invader of failing to present a promised draft peace plan ahead of further talks.
Mr Kellogg said that the national security advisors of the UK, Germany and France would all attend the talks, however the Starmer government has not yet confirmed this. Russian foreign minister said this week Moscow's key demands included Ukrainian neutrality.
European officials have long cautioned that the Russian suggestion that Nato is expanding aggressively eastward is propaganda aimed at justifying its imperialistic ambitions. Putin's attacks on Georgia and Ukraine in 2008 and 2014 came well before either country had serious chances of joining Nato, and the Russian leader's pre-invasion speech in February 2022 made little mention of Kyiv's Nato membership hopes.
In March, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha rejected restrictions on joining international alliances and organisations as part of a potential peace deal.
Ukraine applied for Nato membership in September 2022, months after Putin ordered the full-scale invasion. The country has not received a formal invitation, as the 32 members have struggled to reach a consensus. While Nato membership looks unlikely in the short term, Kyiv has been clear that if it is left without any security guarantees against Russia, they are at a serious risk of future Kremlin aggression.
Moldova does not currently support Nato membership but has been working closely with the alliance for several decades. Last year, a declaration issued at the Nato summit in Washington called on Russia to withdraw all its forces from Moldova.