After statements by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys about NATO's capabilities to neutralize Russian military potential in the Kaliningrad region, as well as about the Kremlin's actions to redirect Ukrainian drones to the Baltic states, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė calls for refraining from such remarks.
“I have heard various statements, including about the redirection of drones, so today, it seems to me, we should refrain from sharp statements,” said Ruginiene on Thursday during the 'government hour' in the Seimas, when the leader of the Liberal Movement, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, asked for an assessment of the remarks made by the head of Lithuanian diplomacy regarding the Kaliningrad region.
This week, in an interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Budrys said that NATO has all the means to destroy the air defense systems in the Russian exclave.
“We must show the Russians that we are capable of breaching their little fortress that they have built in Kaliningrad. If necessary, NATO has all the means to level the Russian air defense and missile bases located there,” the minister told reporters.
Meanwhile, on the social network X, the head of the Lithuanian diplomatic service wrote that Russia is deliberately directing Ukrainian drones towards the Baltic states and conducting a slander campaign against these countries.
This statement came after the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service claimed on Tuesday that Ukraine is allegedly preparing strikes against Russia from the territory of the Baltic states, and that Ukrainian military personnel are allegedly already stationed in Latvia.
“There is no data indicating that drones are being directed to Lithuania — there is no such data. Today it is important to remain calm, to follow instructions clearly, and not to raise unnecessary waves where there are none,” she added.
Parliament member Vitalij Šeršnev, who is part of the Mixed Group of Seimas members, asked the head of government to clarify the position regarding Budrys's statements about Kaliningrad. “What is Mr. Budrys's goal in escalating this issue: whether the presidential elections are approaching, or he is working for some pentagons,” said the parliament member.
The Prime Minister noted that she perceives Budrys's statement as his peculiar desire to use deterrence rhetoric. “I would very much like us to use deterrence rhetoric more, rather than escalation,” said Ruginiene.
