Watch: MEP Candidate Simon Mercieca Says Ukraine-Russia War ‘Doesn’t Impact Malta’
The war in Ukraine “doesn’t impact Malta” and the nation should maintain a completely neutral stance, independent MEP candidate Simon Mercieca has stressed.
Speaking at an Ewropej fil-Pjazza debate in Mosta, organised by Lovin Malta and MaltaToday, Mercieca – a history lecturer – said that as far as he knows, Russia has never posed a threat to Malta.
“The Poles can bring forward a million historic arguments [about why Russia is a threat] but we cannot. I am interested first and foremost in the national interest, and that is for us to endorse neutrality.”
He warned that the war is unlikely to end anytime soon because Russia will not accept NATO bases in Ukraine and said this conflict has its roots in the Cold War.
“Do you think the USA will accept nuclear Russian bases in Mexico? This is going to keep prolonging the war.”
“This started because the EU never accepted the Warsaw Pact, and NATO kept advancing after it was dismantled. Rather than attracting Russia towards us, we kept considering it as our greatest enemy because it is in the USA’s interest for Russia to be dismantled.”
“Is [dismantling Russia] in Malta’s interest? As far as I know, I don’t think so. I’m not being pro-Putin or anti-Putin, but this is the reality as I see it.”
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