Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the EU leader with the closest ties to Putin and, to a lesser extent, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is also seen as pro-Russia.
Nausėda’s view from behind closed doors is mirrored by public statements from EU leaders.
The most dramatic shift has been by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has ditched his early efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the war by negotiating with Putin directly.
Macron now talks of potentially sending Western troops to Ukraine, and earlier this month said: “We are convinced that the defeat of Russia is indispensable to security and stability in Europe.”
That brings the French president into line with views further east.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said: “Helping Ukraine by defeating Putin is the right thing to do in the broadest sense of the word. It is morally sound, strategically wise, militarily justified, and economically beneficial.”
