Europe is facing the most dangerous security situation in 30 years, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on Thursday amid Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's border.
“I would like to stress the importance of the security issue. Unfortunately, we see the concentration, reinforcement of Russian military forces along the Ukrainian border,” Nausėda told reporters ahead of an EU summit.
Read more: ‘Russia is really gearing up for war’, Lithuanian FM says in Brussels
“Probably we face the most dangerous situation in the last 30 years,” the president said.
“I am talking not only about Ukraine, but also about the eastern flank of NATO, about the Baltic region,” he added.
Nausėda called on the bloc to do everything possible to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine.
“I think we have enough tools in order to stop Russia's aggressive behaviour,” he said. “First of all, we have to talk about sectoral, economic sanctions.”
However, EU action is “only part of the solution” as NATO action is needed, too, according to Nausėda.
The Lithuanian president also said that EU leaders should discuss Russia's natural gas export pipeline Nord Stream 2.
Russia has amassed around 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine in recent weeks.
NATO has warned Moscow that it would face large-scale strategic and economic consequences in case of an invasion.
Russia rejects such concerns and says its moves are aimed at preventing Ukraine from joining NATO.
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