Refugees who fled Russian invasion of Donetsk and shared their stories with me and the Ukrainian dr caring for them.
In the sterile corridors of international diplomacy, where maps are redrawn with the stroke of a pen and human suffering is reduced to acceptable losses, a voice cuts through with startling moral clarity. Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s former Foreign Minister, has written something that should make every Western leader pause in uncomfortable recognition.
His latest piece isn’t just political commentary—it’s a profound meditation on how quickly we abandon our principles when faced with inconvenient realities. As someone who has witnessed firsthand the human cost of conflict, I find his words carry the weight of lived experience that our sanitised policy discussions desperately need.
The Dangerous Comfort of ‘De Facto’ Solutions
Landsbergis confronts us with a chilling reality: Western leaders are increasingly suggesting that Ukraine should accept “de facto” Russian occupation of its territories. The term sounds clinical, diplomatic—almost reasonable. But as he reminds us with devastating precision, this semantic distinction means nothing to a woman being assaulted in front of her children. She cannot comfort them by explaining their trauma is merely “de facto, not de jure.”
This observation pierces through layers of political abstraction to reveal something profound about how distance from suffering allows us to rationalise the unthinkable. Having worked in areas of high trauma myself, I recognise this pattern—how quickly human tragedy becomes acceptable when viewed through the lens of geopolitical necessity.
The Weight of Historical Memory
What makes Landsbergis’ perspective particularly compelling is his intimate knowledge of occupation’s reality. When NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte suggests that “de facto” occupation worked out “eventually” for the Baltic States, Landsbergis offers a brutal correction: it wasn’t “a fact of life,” but “a fact of death.”
His country’s history illuminates the true cost of such arrangements:
- Decades of deportations and systematic terror
- Violent attempts to erase national identity
- Being “crushed under Gorbachev’s tanks while western leaders pleaded with us to give up our fight for freedom”
This isn’t abstract historical analysis—it’s a nation’s lived memory speaking truth to power’s comfortable amnesia.
The Architecture of Abandonment
Perhaps most powerfully, Landsbergis refuses to let the West escape responsibility. “If Ukraine has no choice but to accept ‘de facto’ occupation,” he writes, “that’s because WE failed.” Not because Ukrainians failed, not because of mysterious geopolitical forces, but because of our collective choice to ignore warnings, repeat historical mistakes, and avoid difficult decisions.
This accusation should sting because it’s accurate. How many times have we heard variations of “we’re doing everything we can” while systematically constraining what “everything” means? How often have we celebrated our restraint while others pay the price for our caution?
Beyond the Headlines: Human Stories That Demand Witness
Landsbergis grounds his argument in devastating human detail—like Viktoriia Roschyna, the journalist whose body was returned after two years in Russian hands, her brain and eyes removed. These aren’t statistics to be managed or acceptable losses to be calculated. They are individual human beings whose suffering reveals the moral bankruptcy of treating territorial occupation as a technical problem to be solved.
As someone who has sat with families destroyed by conflict, I understand why Landsbergis insists that policymakers “talk to victims of Russia’s aggression and learn a little bit more about the ‘reality on the ground.'” There’s a particular kind of clarity that comes from witnessing human dignity under assault—one that cuts through the comfortable abstractions of diplomatic language.
The Path Forward: Choosing Courage Over Convenience
Landsbergis’ piece is ultimately a call for moral courage in the face of political expedience. He’s asking whether we have the strength to defend basic principles with honor, or whether we’ll continue inventing “semantic tools that reduce our responsibility, reward the aggressor and erase the victim’s humanity.”
This isn’t just about Ukraine—it’s about what kind of world we’re willing to accept. When we normalise aggression through diplomatic language, we’re not being realistic; we’re being cowardly. When we ask victims to accept injustice for the sake of stability, we’re not promoting peace; we’re enabling violence.
A Voice That Deserves Our Attention
Gabrielius Landsbergis writes from a place of profound understanding—both historical and personal—about what’s at stake in Ukraine. His insights at landsbergis.com consistently cut through diplomatic noise to reveal uncomfortable truths about Western responsibility and moral courage.
Read his full article here to experience the full force of his argument—it’s essential reading for anyone trying to understand not just what’s happening in Ukraine, but what our response reveals about who we are as societies.
Standing With Ukraine: Beyond Words to Action
Landsbergis’ call for moral clarity demands more than nodding agreement. If we recognise the bankruptcy of “de facto” solutions, we must support real alternatives. This means sustained, meaningful assistance to Ukraine and its people—not just until it becomes politically inconvenient, but until justice is restored.
For those moved by these arguments, practical support remains urgently needed. Medical and humanitarian aid continues to save lives and preserve human dignity in the face of ongoing aggression. Every contribution represents a choice to stand with those who refuse to accept that might makes right.
