London: Experts concurred on Friday that Europe must reconsider its security policies and its transatlantic relationship with the US in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Academics and analysts from think tanks joined Baltic prime ministers on a panel at the Lennart Meri Conference to talk about how the continent can best adapt to and get through ongoing political and economic crises as a whole.
The panel asserts that the conflict in Russia-Ukraine has been the biggest test of European unification since the end of the Cold War, but it has also revealed the weakness of its defensive capabilities and shown the need to strengthen its defence industrial capacity.
Another important item on the agenda was the impact of the conflict on Europe's relationship with the US.
The conflict in Ukraine and the rise of China, according to Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, have forged a stronger bond between the US and Europe and increased Washington's involvement in European affairs.
He said: "I've given a lot of thought to how we can strengthen this relationship because I'm convinced from the European side that it's in our interest, but equally convinced that the US side has a lot to gain from doing so.
"We are all beginning to understand that NATO has placed us in a complete military reliance on the United States. What else can we do to strengthen our relationship with the US? Because of the many difficulties we and the US face, we should not separate.
Lithuania's prime minister, Ingrida Simonyte, asserted that the EU was fundamentally a peace initiative. She continued by saying that the Ukraine conflict had compelled the EU and its allies to consider the best ways to protect their hard-won peace, even if those ways involved less-than-peaceful means.
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I don't want to say that the region has a unique (perspective); we simply have a living memory of our past, she continued.
"Even for myself, I can still recall the 15 years that the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania, and for me, never again means never again. Simply put, I don't want to see that occur once more.
Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of Estonia, stressed the necessity of European cooperation with the rest of the West in order to hold those accountable for Russian "crimes of aggression" accountable.
"Russia must be held accountable," she remarked. No one can enjoy immunity or impunity.
It was unthinkable a year ago that the ICC (International Criminal Court) would issue an arrest warrant for (Vladimir) Putin. Most people were reluctant to publicly support the concept of a special court for crimes of aggression just six months ago. We have reached the last possible step now.
Simonyte concurred, stating: "If Ukraine falls, there won't be a lasting peace in Europe. Russia will reorganise, rearm, and move in on the next target.
"To prevent this, Russia must be driven off Ukrainian soil, pay for the country's reconstruction, and ensure that those responsible for war crimes are held accountable.
