Today at 16:02
Lithuania considers NATO’s current rotational air defense system ineffective and urges faster action to close gaps in detecting and intercepting aerial threats, said President Gitanas Nausėda ahead of the informal EU leaders’ summit in Copenhagen, Ukrinform reports.
“We need to do much more, especially given airspace violations in Denmark, Poland, Romania, and other countries,” Nausėda said, noting that drones twice entered Lithuanian airspace in July, including one carrying explosives.
He emphasized the urgent need to fill gaps in both detection and interception systems, adding that the “very good idea of rotational air defense systems, written into NATO documents, does not work.”
Nausėda recalled that Lithuania recently had only two protective elements: Dutch Patriot systems and Italian short-range air defense units.
“Documents do not protect us. They cannot detect drones coming from Russia or Belarus. We need action,” he said, warning that waiting for the next multi-year budget to find defense funding is not feasible.
Lithuania has requested €8 billion under SAFE loans and plans to spend 5–6% of GDP on defense starting in 2026.
“The highest priority is defense. Eastern European countries must share this energy, understanding, and awareness, and convince colleagues further from the frontlines that it’s not just about our national borders, but the EU’s external border,” Nausėda added.
He also stated that peace talks are not working, because “Putin has no intention of stopping the war, and we can only do it through pressure and force.”
In this context, he called on EU countries to stop buying Russian oil and gas, stressing:
“It is truly troubling that we pay more for Russian gas and oil than we support Ukraine.”
