As fears grow among European officials about a potential Russian assault on NATO, the commander of Lithuania’s armed forces is keeping cool.
“This year, next year, the possibility or the probability of a war between Russia and NATO is very low, extremely low,” General Valdemaras Rupšys told Lithuanian radio Žinių Radijas on Thursday.
He agreed that conditions might change, but currently Russian forces of the country’s western military district are fully engaged in Ukraine, posing no immediate threat.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, for his part, does think that the country should be prepared to defend itself.
“We do feel the war close to us. We understand that if Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, it could continue,” Landsbergis said Monday, according to Baltic news outlet Delfi. “And then it’s the Baltic states who would be next.”
“It is not mistrust. It is actually preparing for what could come next. And hopefully, this could send a message enough to our friends and partners in Europe, in NATO, that we have to take it seriously,” Landsbergis added.
Top officials from several European countries have sounded the alarm in recent weeks about the threat of wider aggression beyond Ukraine from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rupšys said, “When we have to discuss military advice with those who are not really qualified to give military advice, there is some confusion,” and suggesting that politicians should focus on their specific roles.
“It would be good for everyone to do their job in the whole decision-making process,” the general stressed.
Still, he praised the ongoing preparations for potential conflict and called for swift action to establish a military brigade ranging from light to medium in size and equip it with infantry fighting vehicles and tanks.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia agreed to set up a common Baltic defense zone on their borders with Russia and Belarus amid growing security concerns last Friday.
In accordance, Estonia will build 600 bunkers along its 333-kilometer border with Russia. It would cost €60 million, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported. Estonia promised to begin construction in early 2025.
Latvia’s plans are less defined, but Defense Minister Andris Sprūds already said that it would take a decade to construct. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs called on Finland and Poland to join the Baltic defense zone: “If we want an effective defense mechanism, the countries have to work together.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday flew over the Baltic Sea for the first time since it became NATO’s lake, with Finland and Sweden joining the alliance. Putin went to Kaliningrad, a heavily militarized Russian exclave.
“When the president visits Russian regions, he certainly is not trying to send any messages to NATO countries,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. The Kremlin considers the military buildup in the Baltics as a danger for Kaliningrad, he added.
Sergey Goryashko is hosted at POLITICO under the EU-funded EU4FreeMedia residency program.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to use remarks made by Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis this week.
