“It’s never too late to see that you’ve made a big mistake,” Luxembourg’s foreign minister Xavier Bettel declared at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s summit in North Macedonia this week.
The former prime minister admitted he used to have a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said the latter has isolated Russia from Europe with his military offensive against neighbouring Ukraine. Bettel declared the war on Ukraine had no justification, and argued it could be a sign of strength to pursue peace instead.
Bettel started his speech in French, switching to English in order to address the Russian delegation. He said he regretted the fact that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in attendance at an OSCE summit for the first time since the Russian invasion, was not in the room. Lavrov did give a speech at the summit, but did not stay to listen to the reactions of the other foreign ministers. Bettel referenced his Russian heritage and said he was “deeply saddened that we are unable to have exchanges” with a view to finding a peaceful solution. He also highlighted Russia’s isolation within the international community.
Bettel’s statement, which was partially in English, can be heard in the below video:
