Grybauskaite earned a reputation as the “Baltic Iron Lady” for her resolute leadership and bluntness, particularly regarding Russia.
“After the Crimea occupation, the reaction from the West was very slow, despite Russia demonstrating openly in broad daylight that it could occupy the territories of neighboring countries,” Grybauskaite told The Associated Press in an interview this week. “We tried to explain to them what that means, but we were criticized, laughed at, and not believed. Today, most of them agree who was right but that is not important anymore. What is more concerning is that even now they hear us, but they don’t listen.”
She said many Europeans still fail to understand the chasm in values between Russia and the West. She dismissed as “delusions” the idea that the two sides could find common ground through negotiations.