A worried Lithuanian president told Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Monday that the failure to stop the Russian president Vladimir Putin in Ukraine lead to World War III.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that the policy of containment is not enough and “forward defense” is now needed.
“I must say that more containment is no longer enough,” he said, adding that “Putin will not stop in Ukraine if he is not stopped.”
“Our collective duty as a nation is to help all Ukrainians by all available means,” Nauseda said. – By “everything”, I mean that really “everything” means “everything” if we want to avoid the Third World War. The choice is in our hands.
Blinken, who is touring the Baltic region to calm nervous NATO allies, has doubled America’s commitment to the alliance’s Article 5.
“An attack on one is an attack on all,” said Blinken Nauseda, referring to the NATO collective defense pact. “The United States, along with all allies and partners, will defend every inch of NATO territory if it comes under attack.”
“No one should doubt our readiness. No one should doubt our resolve,” he added.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda (right) warned Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (left) that failure to stop Vladimir Putin in Ukraine could lead to World War III
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is touring the Baltics to appease NATO allies nervous about Putin’s ambitions to build the old Russian empire if they succeed in Ukraine – higher up, Ukrainian soldiers rush to prepare for an incoming artillery barrage from Russian troops defending the city of Irpin.
Blinken was due to visit neighboring Latvia and Estonia on Monday and Tuesday as three NATO members and former Soviet bloc members worry that Putin might try to rebuild his country’s old empire.
The Secretary of State is touring the Baltic region as President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to assuage any concerns they have about their security should Russia decide to expand its military operations.
In the Latvian capital Riga, Blinken said the Baltic states “formed a democratic wall that now resists the tide of autocracy” that Russia is promoting in Europe.
“The United States is more ready than ever to stand by you when our democracies rise to the challenge,” he said.
“We are strengthening our common defenses so that we and our allies are ready,” Blinken said. He stressed that the US commitment to the NATO Mutual Defense Pact is “untouchable” and that NATO and the US are discussing permanent troop deployment in the Baltic states.
The leaders of both countries have expressed grave concern about Putin’s intentions towards former Soviet bloc countries that are now allies or otherwise linked to the West.
“We no longer have illusions about Putin’s Russia,” Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said after meeting with Blinken in Riga. “In fact, we see no good reason to believe that Russia can change its policy.”
Rinkevics said the Russian invasion of Ukraine demonstrated to the Baltic states in particular the need to strengthen their air and coastal defenses, and that Latvia would like its security cooperation with NATO to be “more effective.”
Memories of Soviet rule are still fresh in the Baltics, and after last month’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO moved quickly to increase its military presence on its allies on the eastern flank, while the US pledged additional support.
Blinken began his Baltic tour in Vilnius, where Lithuania’s support for Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion was palpable, with signs of solidarity with Ukrainians evident on many businesses, homes, public buildings and buses. Later he went to Riga, which was also adorned with blue and yellow Ukrainian flags.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called for more aid to Ukraine, noting that NATO allies are “doing a lot, but we can’t stop.” He also called for an immediate halt to Russian energy imports. “We cannot pay for oil and gas with Ukrainian blood,” he said.
Lithuania is also facing pressure from another major power, China, over its relationship with Taiwan, an island that China considers an apostate province. China has taken action, including stopping imports of certain products, against Lithuania for allowing Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius.
Blinken said that the situation in Ukraine is relevant to Lithuania’s situation in Taiwan, as all countries should have the right to pursue their own foreign policy.
“Every nation is free to associate with whoever it wants,” he said. “The United States continues to support Lithuania and every nation in choosing their own path.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken meets with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at the Presidential Presidency Palace in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Blinken arrived in the Baltics late Sunday from non-aligned Moldova, which is also watching the approaching war with apprehension, and Poland, where he visited the Polish-Ukrainian border and met with refugees from Ukraine.
After meetings with senior Latvian officials and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in Riga, Blinken will visit Tallinn, Estonia on Tuesday and then travel to Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Putin over the weekend, and Macron spoke frequently with the Russian leader. Both Israel and France sought meetings with Blinken to discuss these interactions.
Blinken declined to discuss these meetings in detail before they took place, but said: “Our message to Moscow, our message to Russia and to President Putin has certainly not changed: stop the war.” End it now.