President Gitanas Nausėda attended the Munich Security Conference and participated in the discussion on February 17 regarding Mapping NATO’s Eastern Deterrence and Defense.
In the debate, the President stressed that we are living in an extremely complex geopolitical period, when Russia is destroying the rule-based international order, using military aggression against sovereign states, committing genocide, and threatening with nuclear war. According to the Head of State, Vladimir Putin will not give up his imperialist ambitions and his main objective is to seize territories by means of brutal military force and to increase Russia’s influence in the world. The unprovoked and illegal war that Russia has started in Ukraine is just another proof of this.
The Lithuanian leader stressed that Russia actively uses propaganda and disinformation, employs corruption schemes and uses nuclear blackmail to achieve its goals. According to the Lithuanian leader, Putin will not stop unless he is forced to do so.
In his speech, Gitanas Nausėda outlined his view on the strategy of active containment of Russia, which is necessary for the Western world to curb Russia’s imperialist ambitions and to ensure long-term and sustainable peace in the world.
“First of all, Russia has to be isolated in the international arena. No shaking hands with a murderer who kills his political opponents. Yes to Putin’s trial in the Hague. Secondly, we need to invest as much as possible in our defense. NATO must be stronger than ever. Thirdly, we must derail the Kremlin regime’s economic capacity to finance the war,” the Lithuanian leader spoke. He stressed that there can be no cooperation with the aggressor country in any area, from technology to culture.
In his speech, the Head of State also pointed out the need to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. The President underlined that NATO’s eastern flank is the Alliance’s front line that protects freedom, democracy and a peaceful future for the whole of Europe, and must therefore be particularly strong.
Deterrence is the most reliable and cheapest way to avoid military conflict. It is important to increase defense spending beyond the minimum 2% and to boost the defense industry as soon as possible.
“We must have a brigade-sized permanently stationed allied forces in the Baltic States and strengthen the region’s air defense. The allocation of the necessary capabilities and regular allied military exercises are a prerequisite for the effective implementation of defense plans,” President Gitanas Nausėda added.
He also recommended seeking ways to use frozen Russian assets to assist Ukraine.
The discovery by Estonian intelligence of Russia’s plans to prepare for possible war with NATO in the next 10 years is a clear indication that the conflict is no longer about Russia and Ukraine, not only about Russian malintent toward the Baltics and Poland, but about the challenge facing the entire democratic world.
Regarding Alexei Navalny, he noted that it is difficult to speak about an independent investigation into his death, as suggested by some world leaders. It is impossible to conduct such an investigation in a country which will not cooperate, which has withdrawn from all possible platforms or has been banned from them. It is very clear that this was not a natural death but a murder, and must be an eye opener for everyone.
