European countries, including Lithuania, made a huge mistake in assuming that there would be no more wars on the continent, says Valdemaras Rupšys, commander of the Lithuanian armed forces. As a result, they are now facing a shortage of weapons.
“We made a huge mistake in Europe, and perhaps here in Lithuania too, that we did not take the right approach to the preparation for a conflict of this magnitude,” Lieutenant General Rupšys told the radio Žinių Radijas on Thursday. “We thought that we would have to go somewhere to carry out missions with allies, and someone would come here and defend us.”
He noted that, under the NATO treaty, a country must have the capability to defend itself.
“There was not so much emphasis on the need to rebuild resources, on the need to rebuild ammunition, on the need to develop armaments, because the race had not stopped on Russia’s side, Russia was arming itself, preparing for war, and somebody did not want to look at it in a sober way,” insisted Rupšys.
This, he said, has led to the present shortage of armaments, where European countries have not had time to sufficiently equip themselves.
The army chief also said that the military industry is not in a position to quickly ramp up supply in the face of increased demand.
According to Rupšys, there is also the risk that eventually societies may revert to the attitude “after this war there will be no more wars”.
“Unfortunately, this is the way the world is set up, that wars have, do and will exist – including in Europe,” said Rupšys.
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