Russia wants to keep its Ukraine plans in ambiguity, Lithuanian president tells Bloomberg

Having massed its major forces near Ukraine's border, Russia is pursuing both military pressure and diplomatic negotiations, says Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.

“I think Russia intends to keep both alternatives open, to keep certain ambiguity of its plans. So we see the concentration of military troops, this process is going on and we should not be misled by some information that probably they're turning around in the military capabilities of Russia,” the president said in an interview with Bloomberg TV, published on Friday.

In Nausėda's view, military buildup near Ukraine's border is a way for Moscow to wrestle a better negotiating position in talks with NATO countries.

He added, however, that he had faith in a peaceful solution of the conflict, as the West seemed united: “I see this trend and this trend is encouraging.”

President Nausėda also noted that around 45,000 Russian troops were present in Belarus for military drills, as well nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles.

The Lithuanian president said he supported sanctions on Moscow in case of an invasion. He also stressed the need to continue supporting Ukraine with financial, economic and military measures, as an exodus of investment “creates if not panic, then tension in society”.

Ukraine won’t be able to implement the reforms that the EU demands without financial assistance, Nausėda said.

“This is the reason why we need a financial package for Ukraine. And what is probably even more important is that we need a clearer EU perspective for Ukraine. We had the summit in December, it set a very good timetable and goals, but now, probably, we need an even more exact action plan [for] Ukraine,” Nausėda said.

Moscow has over 100,000 of its troops near Ukraine's border, stoking fears in the West of a possible invasion of Ukraine. Western countries are also concerned about the ongoing joint Russian-Belarusian military drills in Belarus.

Despite Russia's withdrawal claims, NATO and US leaders say they see no significant signs of that in fact happening.