Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has criticized Europe’s approach to the war in Ukraine, calling it a major mistake to abandon diplomacy with Russia and focus its efforts on arming Ukraine.
Speaking at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin, Rama said Europe had traditionally favored diplomacy and that ending efforts to engage with Moscow had, in his view, changed the nature of European policymaking.
Rama said Albania had little interest in closer ties with Russia and that he felt free to express his views on how Europe had handled the conflict.
“We don’t miss Russia, and I don’t see much appetite for engaging with Russia at a high level. But I can say that Europe made a very big mistake from day one by giving up on diplomacy and putting all its efforts into armaments. In doing so, it changed its very nature, because Europe has always leaned toward diplomacy. Betting on an outright victory over Russia and ending talks was therefore a major mistake,” Rama said.
The prime minister also brought up former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her decision to buy cheaper gas from Russia. He questioned the criticism she faced over that choice, arguing that alternative sources of energy would have cost German consumers more.
“I can’t understand why Angela Merkel is judged in Germany for choosing cheap Russian gas. Maybe it’s because I’m not a sophisticated person. Imagine if Merkel had told her citizens at the time, ‘I’m going to stop buying gas from Russia and pay more to buy it from Qatar,’” Rama said.
In closing, Rama said Albania lacked the influence to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and could not be held responsible for the absence of a diplomatic solution.
“No one is asking Albania to solve anything, and no one can blame it when things go unresolved,” he said.
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