Former prime minister Alfred Sant has partly blamed the West for the current Russia-Ukraine crisis, telling the European Parliament that the EU and Nato ignored Russia’s "legitimate concerns" about its security, intervened in its economy and broke their open-ended promises not to extend their military reach in Europe.

Speaking in a plenary session in the presence of plenary of Ursula Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, president of the European Council, Sant said it would be a gross mistake for Russia to invade Ukraine and it would greatly damage Russia’s standing and interests.

But acknowledging this does not imply that the current impasse is solely Russia’s responsibility.

Indeed, Western powers from within the EU and NATO and outside, consistently believed they held the upper hand in any long-term face-off with Russia.

When this helped promote a regrettable authoritarianism in Russia’s governance, they consolidated the face-off further.

As a result, the legitimate security and other concerns of Russia’s neigħbours became constrained. They now consider their only protection is Nato.

"Should not the goal have been a European diplomatic architecture allowing equally for the security concerns of Russia, its neighbours and Western Europe as a whole?" he asked.

He recalled that French President de Gaulle once called for a Europe united from the Atlantic to the Urals. German Chancellor Willy Brandt once launched his Ost Politik.

They foresaw a Europe in which both Russia and the rest of Europe occupied a meaningful space.

"Why has their vision been abandoned?" Sant asked.