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Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Ukraine is changing the dynamics of the war by striking targets inside Russia, bringing the consequences of the conflict closer to the Russian population.
Speaking ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels on June 18, Nausėda said recent developments in Moscow demonstrate that the war is no longer something Russians observe only on television, UATV English reports.
“We see that Ukraine is winning this war. We see more and more signs that the war is approaching the Russian population. What is happening in Moscow now is changing the rules of the game because Russian citizens are beginning to understand that this is no longer a war they watch on television, but a war on their own soil,” Nausėda said.
The Lithuanian leader also noted that Ukraine has significantly expanded its drone production and continues to strengthen its domestic defense industry, which he described as crucial at the current stage of the war.
Commenting on prospects for peace negotiations, Nausėda stressed that Ukraine and Europe should enter any diplomatic process with a clear understanding of their objectives and only if Russia demonstrates genuine readiness for talks or at least a ceasefire.
“At the moment, there are no positive signals from Russia,” he said.
Nausėda added that previous attempts by individual leaders to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin had failed because they lacked a unified European approach.
According to the Lithuanian president, pressure on Moscow must continue to increase through both military support for Ukraine and tougher sanctions.
Speaking about the EU’s upcoming 21st sanctions package, Nausėda argued that it should target not only Russian banks and the shadow fleet, but also the energy sector, including Lukoil and Rosatom.
“So far, we have not reached that point. And this is my appeal to colleagues and leaders — we must do more to inflict greater pain on Russia,” he said.
On June 18, Moscow came under another wave of drone attacks, with large fires reported at the Moscow Oil Refinery following strikes that Ukrainian officials said had severely disrupted the facility’s operations.
