Lithuanian foreign minister: Sanctions have economic and political effect on Russia

“We must be consistent. We must be patient. We must allow the sanctions to do their job. I believe there’s no need at this stage to consider additional sanctions. But I would not discount that possibility if the situation worsens. But at this moment everything is providing results and the sanctions have not only an economic but also a political effect,” the minister told a press conference in Vilnius on Friday.

Linkevičius underlined that Russia’s stance and actions are not changing, therefore, “it’s not the right time to speak about any kind of thaw”.

The press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held to present the results of the traditional Snow Meeting and Vilnius Intellectuals Forum that took place in Trakai and Vilnius this week. The meetings were attended by more than 100 influential politicians, experts and representatives of the Russian opposition, and focused on ways to protect Western societies and values from Russia’s aggressive efforts to redraw the map of Europe, how to set up the relationship between the West and Russia, how to help Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and other countries to resist Russia’s pressure and to continue pursuing Euro-Atlantic integration.

The Snow Meeting was held for the 8th time already, and the Vilnius Intellectuals Forum, aimed at promoting a dialogue with representatives of the Russian society, took lace for the second time.