As the Baltic states are feeling directly threatened by Russia, they can expect military backup from the United States, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says following a conversation with US President Joe Biden.
On Thursday, Biden held a teleconference with leaders of the so-called Bucharest Nine, which includes the Baltic states, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.
Read more: Biden vows extra military capabilities amid Russia tensions – Lithuanian adviser
“As I told the president of the United States of America, the bell tolls not only for Ukraine but also for NATO's eastern flank, specifically, the Baltic states feel a direct threat as well, Nausėda told reporters on Friday. “We agreed that the US response, in the military sense of the word, will be adequate. We can expect military backup, which would let us feel safer.”
“We also stated that the likelihood of Russia's aggression is very high and there are many signs that we might have the worst-case scenario – a military intervention into a sovereign country's [Ukraine's] territory. We have to do everything together to avoid this worst-case scenario,” he added.
During the conversation with Biden, the Lithuanian president also stressed the importance of unity of NATO partners in the face of military threats from Russia.
“I repeated several times: one cannot discuss the Baltic states or other NATO members without their involvement. Therefore, the most appropriate and the most transparent format to ensure the highest level of mutual trust is NATO. And we definitely plan to actively work within this format,” Nausėda said.
Deterrence is the best measure to make sure “the rights of independent countries are respected”, according to Nausėda, and Biden “is taking the right leadership and is pooling all of us to give a very clear response and send a clear message to aggressive regimes that such actions will not be left without a response.”
Biden is holding conversations with NATO partners in Europe, as well as with Ukraine, amid growing concerns that Russia may be planning a large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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