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Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda warned that any ceasefire in Ukraine must involve Kyiv and be accompanied by increased defense spending from regional countries to prevent future Russian aggression.
In an interview with AP, Nausėda stressed that a settlement without strong deterrence measures would allow Russia to regroup and prepare for renewed attacks.
“Even after a ceasefire in Ukraine, we cannot believe Russia will simply stop and do nothing,” he said. “They will use this pause to consolidate, strengthen military capabilities, and strike again. The question is: what will be Russia’s next target? Ukraine? The Baltic states?”
Lithuania’s geography—bordering Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Belarus—makes it vulnerable to potential conflicts initiated by the Kremlin, even after the war ends.
“You can never feel completely safe living in this part of the world because of our neighbor. That won’t change in 100 or 200 years. There’s always a threat from the East, and we must take precautions to avoid being attacked,” Nausėda noted.
He emphasized that this is “not just a conflict between countries” but a direct challenge from Vladimir Putin to NATO.
Meanwhile, Lithuania’s military chief, Raimundas Vaikšnoras, suggested the possibility of deploying Lithuanian troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping mission. In January, Lithuania also delivered a new military aid package to Ukraine, including domestically-produced drones, thermal imagers, and five-ton telescopic loaders.
Read also: U.S. understands need to put pressure on Russia to end war – Kallas
