Lithuania should not expect conventional attacks, foreign minister says

“Personally, I believe, although there are other opinions, that we should not expect a conventional threat. Nevertheless, we are a member of NATO and it would be too risky to attack such a country openly and directly. Although madness has no limits, I don’t think it [the threat] is real. And various local conflicts, not necessarily in Lithuania, are possible,” Linkevičius said in an interview with the Lietuvos Rytas TV’s program “24/7”.

Speaking about queues on the Lithuanian-Russian border after Russia introduced thorough checks for vehicles from Lithuania, Linkevičius underlined that Russia is not a reliable country for doing business with.

“Lithuania’s business sector has experienced first-hand that long-term relations with Russia are not reliable. I do believe time will come and trade with this country will get back to normal. But now one needs to assess the risks and do not expect anything,” the minister said.

He said that Russia sometimes introduced various restrictions without any reason, but the latest flare-up could be related to Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė‘s recent statement when she called Russia a terrorist state.

“I see sense in the president’s statement and understand it. It would be wrong to put it down to one statement. What is happening is happening all the time and this way our unity is being tested,” the Lithuanian foreign minister said.