Lithuania’s president described President ‘s address to the United Nations on Tuesday as “strong,” particularly concerning border protection.
In an exclusive interview with , President Gitanas Nausėda stated that “The independent state has to control the border.”
Lithuania borders Belarus for 422 miles and shares a 161-mile frontier with (Kaliningrad).
Nausėda affirmed, “We built the fence, a physical barrier, and provided the tools necessary for a modern surveillance system. Now the country’s safe.” He added, “We pushed back on those migrants who are coming into [our] country.”
Nausėda also endorsed the Trump administration’s more assertive stance against Russia.
He commented, “It was a strong speech. It was a speech which covered very important topics.” Nausėda further explained, “Having the leverage that President Donald Trump has — he will be able to press Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiation table because we can do it only by proving our strength.”
Lithuania, a Baltic nation in northeast Europe with 2.85 million residents, joined NATO and the European Union in 2004. It was under Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1941 and again from 1944 to 1990. Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence on March 11, 1990, officially gaining it in 1991.
This interview took place near the United Nations shortly before President Trump asserted on Truth Social that Ukraine is capable of winning the conflict and reclaiming all its territory “in its original form.” Trump additionally labeled Russia a “paper tiger.”
Currently, approximately 20% of the country remains under Russian occupation.
Nausėda suggested that Putin’s “old imperialist ambitions” are preventing him from being ready for peace in Ukraine.
The Lithuanian president spoke at the U.N. General Assembly several hours after Trump, stating, “We do not believe in appeasement.” Elaborating further, the president remarked, “I remember many leaders in Western Europe wanted to talk with Vladimir Putin, trying to appease him and to prevent him from aggression towards Ukraine. It didn’t help, and it probably led to the conclusion that there’s only one way to speak with Vladimir Putin — to speak through strength.”
Nausėda commended Trump’s initiative to encourage European countries to implement sanctions against Russia and secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The Lithuanian president strongly criticized certain European Union members for continuing trade with Russia.
He asserted, “There shouldn’t be a tradeoff between economic benefits and geopolitical goals because we are talking about our security. If we pay for Russian gas or oil today, tomorrow we might be attacked because this money fuels Russia’s war machine.”
Lithuania ceased importing Russian oil and gas two months after Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
When questioned about the possibility of Putin attacking a NATO nation, Nausėda responded, “We should be prepared. We should do anything in our hands to deter [them.] I believe in deterrence, but we have to build a credible wall of deterrence. This is the reason why Lithuania’s very enthusiastic about President Donald Trump’s appeal to spend more on defense. We are ready to spend 5% and more. 2035 is not okay for us. We want to spend between 5 and 6% starting in 2026.”
In March, Lithuania’s defense minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, asserted that the only way to negotiate with Putin is with a “gun on the table.”
The president mentioned that currently, American weapons account for one-fifth of Lithuania’s military procurement.
Following a recent incident where three armed Russian MiG-31 Foxhounds violated NATO airspace over Estonia, another Baltic nation, Nausėda stated that his country would be prepared to respond if a similar violation occurred over its territory. He assured, “We have sufficient capabilities.”
Questioned regarding reports that the Pentagon was reducing some security funding for the Baltic States, Nausėda seemed largely unconcerned, noting, “It’s not a final decision.”
Lithuania, alongside its fellow Baltic States, recently declared its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, enabling them to deploy anti-personnel landmines as the nation reinforces its border defenses against neighboring Russia and Belarus.
Nausėda expressed hope that the 1,200 American soldiers presently stationed in his country would stay. Four of them died in a training accident in March, while they were in the capital.
“Vilnius is [a] great capital. We have very nice nature, and we have very friendly people,” Nausėda remarked.