Lithuanian FM warns Russia can do 'so much damage to its neighbors'

UNITED NATIONS, New York – UNITED NATIONS — Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis shared with Fox News Digital his position arsenic idiosyncratic connected the borderline of the Ukraine invasion, including concerns Russia tin bash "so overmuch damage" adjacent arsenic its powerfulness wanes.

"In 2014, earlier the archetypal warfare successful Ukraine, radical successful the U.S. and … Western leaders would accidental ‘Russia is going down, it’s connected its mode down, its determination powerfulness – it's not a planetary powerfulness anymore, its power is waning,’" Landsbergis said. "But connected its mode down, it tin bash truthful overmuch harm to its neighbors." 

"It’s not the close assessment," helium added, saying that adjacent if Russia were declining arsenic overmuch arsenic Western leaders think, the decease "convulsions" of specified a large powerfulness could "last for decades." 

"Who knows erstwhile oregon however it would halt … it’s a precise hard happening to imagine, to predict," helium said. 

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Lithuania has remained 1 of the astir vocal nations successful Eastern Europe passim Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, adjacent earlier the 2014 penetration of Crimea. Part of that has been to proudly clasp NATO’s relation connected the continent. 

Lithuania's Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis attends NATO's 75th day acme successful Washington, D.C., connected July 11, 2024. (Reuters/Yves Herman)

While Lithuania fell acold beneath the 2% required expenditure connected defense successful 2014, by 2021 – a afloat twelvemonth earlier the penetration of Ukraine started – Lithuania had met the request and lone continued expanding its defence expenditure.

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Lithuania successful 2023 deed 3.2% expenditure, making it 1 of the highest-spending (by percent of GDP) members of NATO aft lone Poland, the U.S., Greece and Estonia.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielus Landsbergis and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken clasp a associated quality league successful Vilnius, Lithuania, connected March 7, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/Pool via Reuters)

Landsbergis utilized this – and the wide summation successful defence spending among NATO members implicit the past 2 years – to reason that European countries person proven their quality to "muster strength" and stand up to a powerfulness of Russia’s size.

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"Even the biggest critics should person to admit that much than $100 billion, present … I mean, it’s huge. Nobody truly could person predicted that Europe would beryllium capable to bash that," Landsbergis said. 

Gabrielius Landsbergis, (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images/File)

"The question is: Is that enough? And does that forbid specified enactment against your neighbour similar Ukraine to beryllium repeated successful the future?" helium said. "This is wherever we spot a occupation that Europe needs to turn due to the fact that each manufacture successful Europe needs to measurement up with its spending towards defense."

When pressed connected whether Europe lacks wide enactment oregon has stagnated successful caller years, Landsbergis disagreed but acknowledged that the national has country to improve.

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"The national is structured with 27 members and each with a veto, right?" Landsbergis noted. "It's hard to person a creaseless process that doesn't necessitate a batch of statement oregon statement building."

"This is the mode that we are presently astatine this juncture. There's speech astir the request for reform," helium added. "I deliberation that it … volition beryllium happening. Europe has to accommodate to the caller requirements of this property and time, and possibly the principles alteration arsenic well."