Adamkus: ‘I hope US voters will not open the door of the White House to Mr. Trump’

Lithuania’s former President, 89-year-old Valdas Adamkus gave an interview to the Info TV programme “Komentarai su I. Makaraityte”.

Adamkus discussed topics ranging from the recent debate on the construction of the Astravyets nuclear power plant in Belarus and developments in Russia to the approaching US presidential election and his relations with other Lithuanian politicians.

President Adamkus, who has been recovering from cancer, also said that he has successfully overcome his ailments.

Adamkus, who continues to appear in the listings of the most influential Lithuanian politicians despite his retirement from politics, described working with other politicians as exceedingly difficult due to differences in competence networks of influences.

He said his relations with former conservative Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius were “formal”, the warmest interactions he had were with conservative MP Irena Degutienė and social democrat Gediminas Kirkilas.

Adamkus said he would not be casting his vote in the upcoming Seimas elections, although his mind was not firmly set yet. Still, a number of people he would like to see as candidates that he has spoken to are forgoing the opportunity. The former president also lamented the lack of individual initiative and opinion among many parliamentarians.

Commenting on US presidential election, Adamkus said he was disturbed by the rhetoric of the Republican candidate Donald Trump and the potential outcomes of his victory.

“I believe that it is a somewhat pathetic situation that an extremist of radical views, and I don’t know how sincere toward the American people he is, could end up influencing certain international events,” Adamkus, formerly a citizen of the United States, said.

Adamkus said he hoped that US voters would think well before casting their votes and would not open the doors of the White House to Trump.