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Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis halted his widely expected bid to be a European Commissioner, he announced on Saturday.
The move comes amid a bitter rift between Landsbergis, one of the Baltic region’s most well-known political figures, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
Nausėda has refused to back Landsbergis despite support from other key figures, including Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and European People’s Party President Manfred Weber.
“It would have been a great honor to serve as Lithuania’s European commissioner, but I will continue to serve my country, help Ukraine and fight for Europe’s future in other ways,” Landsbergis said on X.
He has asked Šimonytė to propose another candidate for the president to consider.
Landsbergis shot to international fame in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as he’s been pushing for Western Europe and the U.S. to maximize aid for Kyiv. Vilnius is seeking the EU portfolio for membership enlargement, a key agenda for Ukraine in the next five years, according to a Lithuanian official granted anonymity to share the plan.
EU member countries have to nominate commissioner picks to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen by Aug. 30, according to a commission spokesperson.
In an emailed statement to POLITICO, the president’s office said there have not been any official nominations by the government to the president for the commissioner role.
“An extensive list of potential candidates has been informally discussed by the president and the prime minister in order to identify best-suited candidates,” the office’s communications team said, adding that Nausėda is “certain” that Lithuania could meet the deadline for nominating a commissioner.
