MEP Gabrielius Landsbergis: "Crimea could be returned to Ukraine via the United Nations"

Member of European Parliament and leader of the Lithuanian Homeland Union party, Gabrielius Landsbergis, told the Baltic Times he believes Crimea could be returned to Ukraine via the United Nations’ General Assembly and the International Court of Justice. 

During his current visit to Ukraine, Landsbergis has already met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk to discuss the possibility of forming a joint military battalion between Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. 

Like fellow post-Soviet states Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are part of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership initiative. 

“A joint battalion between three countries would not only increase the security within the Black Sea region, it would also send a rather strong message that the countries can co-operate beyond their national interests,” Landsbergis told the Baltic Times. 

“Actually, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were a good example of co-operating beyond our national interests. 

“We created the joint battalion together with Poland before we joined NATO [in 2004], because we can not only ask for external assistance which we of course need, but we can do something related to our own security as well on our own terms. 

“This is the message I’ve been trying to get across and I’ve just had a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenuk. 

“I saw from his reaction that he’s positive to this idea of a joint battalion.” 

Landsbergis believes the three-way battalion formed between the militaries of Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland (LITPOLUKRBRIG) could be a model for the armies of Georgia and Moldova should they wish to adopt a similar path. 

“One more small detail is that there’s a joint battalion between Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine,” he continued. 

“Lithuania already knows the procedures and knows how things work. However I think that could be expanded upon and two more countries could join - Moldova and Georgia.”

On July 24, 2015, Landsbergis also met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for a “cultural talk on bi-lateral matters” between Lithuania and Ukraine. 

Landsbergis stressed while judicial reform within Ukraine is a key point on both parties’ agenda, he believes there is “too much talk” about Crimea rather than the internal and security issues Ukraine faces. 

Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March 2014. 

However, Landsbergis believes Crimea “should be returned to Ukraine at some point” and suggested to the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs one way of beginning proceedings could be going through the UN’s General Assembly and the International Court of Justice. 

“I worry there is too much talk about Crimea, and I suggested yesterday to the Minister of Foreign Affairs that there should be very concrete actions to ensure, and even though it sounds unrealistic right now, that Crimea should be returned to Ukraine at some point,” continued Landsbergis. 

“I suggested the possibility of going through the United Nations’ general assembly and calling on the International Court of Justice’s assessment on the occupation and start a legal process to return Crimea to Ukraine.”