Russia is preparing for a full-scale war with Ukraine, but the international community does not yet take it seriously enough, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabriel Landsberg said on Monday.
“I believe that Russia is really preparing for war – and is taking it seriously. I still feel that we, including Lithuania, are not taking what is serious enough,” he told reporters ahead of a meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers in Brussels.
Landsbergis then emphasized the same idea at the ministerial meeting itself, warning that such an attack would be “unprecedented, perhaps since World War II”, and calling on the EU and the US to “give an unprecedented response”.
According to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Russia’s intentions go beyond the squabbling of weapons or an attempt to provoke temporary unrest in the region.
“Judging by the warnings of our partners and colleagues, it wants to change the region’s strategic order in recent decades,” he said. “And it is already very dangerous – dangerous for Lithuania as well.”
“Russia may try to cause a geopolitical earthquake, which will undoubtedly change our security situation as well. We need to talk about it, we have to prepare for it,” , and in cooperation with partners.
According to him, the West, which would like to avoid war, is probably ready to “make great strategic concessions”.
“We must also prepare for possible sanctions – it must be clear what awaits Russia if it crosses the Ukrainian border,” the minister said.
As Landsberg emphasized, the West must not accept the rules of the Russian game.
“An open door policy for both NATO and the EU acts as a force for attraction and a catalyst for good change. It is the open door policy that has driven change in the EU’s neighborhood – even without clear promises, and a closed door could slow it down dramatically,” he added.
The Minister reminded that it is very important to strengthen the security of the Baltic Sea region in response to the threats.
“Both the people in our region and the potential aggressors need to be clear that the Alliance has teeth and those teeth are very sharp,” he added.
Russia has drawn some 100,000 troops off the border with Ukraine in recent weeks, raising fears in the West that Moscow may be planning to invade a neighboring country.
NATO has warned Russia that such an invasion would have far-reaching strategic and economic consequences.
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