Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
Central/Eastern Europe

Kubilius. 3 Belarussian factors and Macron’s visit to Lithuania

It is nearing two months now that people’s mass protests continue in Belarus without halting or weakening against the regime of usurper A. Lukashenko. Some in Lithuania even say with concern that the supporters of democracy […]

Rasa Juknevičienė MEP
Defence

NATO is not brain-dead, Mr Macron!

From the Baltic Way to the Berlin Wall and then all the way to the restoration of independence on 11 March 1990, which was ultimately followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Those were […]

Flag of Hungary
CORPORATE

Hungarian lessons for Lithuania and Europe

There is a good old English term illiberal democracy that does not have a precise translation into Lithuanian. It defines the regimes that come to power through democratic means, but their representatives apparently aim at the never-ending reign trampling on the fundamental European values of democracy, freedom of speech, and the rule of law. Let us call them anti-democrats, and let me share some insights about them. […]

Vladimir Putin
Opinion

Russian politics in Putin’s new term

Russian President Vladimir Putin is the great survivor of European politics. Western leaders come and go, but Putin has persisted. He has managed to hold on to power for nearly two decades, through three foreign wars, two economic crises, multiple presidential and parliamentary elections (of varying degrees of fairness), a series of leadership reshuffles, the rise and fall of oil prices, and successive waves of economic sanctions. […]

Kęstutis Girnius
CORPORATE

Kęstutis Girnius. The restless year of 2019

The coming year will not be easy. Global economic growth is slowing. The trade wars started by the USA have calmed, but could soon flare again because President Trump is becoming ever less predictable. […]

Vytautas Sinica
CORPORATE

Vytautas Sinica. Euro federalism is eroding the European Union

Compared to Lithuania, no other state better understood the fact that membership in the EU and NATO – especially NATO – was (and still is) essential to the country’s long-term survival and the assurance of national interests. It was this goal of achieving the membership that motivated and led Lithuania forward during its first decade of independence. Lithuania always associated NATO with safety and EU with welfare and benefits – and, sadly, better governance as well. […]

Vytautas Keršanskas
CORPORATE

Vytautas Keršanskas. Let‘s stop talking about a European military

In recent months, we hear ever more intensive discussions on the creation of a European military. The topic has been covered by figures ranging from the heads of the largest European Union country heads of state to the presidential candidates in Lithuania. However, one must note that it is an equally impossible to even begin implementing idea as, say, an EU Olympic team or football team. […]

Emmanuel Macron, Vladimir Putin
Foreign affairs

The Kremlin is not interested in Macrons’ ‘stability’

The European security architecture needs to change, French President Emmanuel Macron declared during his latest visit to Finland. The changing world security architecture is forcing the European Union to adopt to the changing world. This is inevitable. However, the French President also called for an ‘update’ of the EU and Russia’s relationship. An ‘update’ should be welcomed, but the main question on whose terms this ‘update’ should be. Is the EU ready to accept an extended hand of friendship from the Kremlin? Certainly not and this is why. […]