Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas is sceptical about the idea of Lithuania launching discussions on bilateral or regional security agreements.
“First of all, we have to understand that we have NATO, which is still the world’s largest and most powerful defence force. Trying to break it apart and turn it into just a regional power on our own doesn’t seem like a very wise move,” Paluckas told reporters on Tuesday.
“All defence plans, both regional and in the NATO format, have been considered, prepared, and, if needed, we have plans A, B, and C,” he added.
Saulius Skvernelis, the speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, has called for discussions on the issue.
“We need to talk about security agreements, both bilateral and regional, so that countries can respond outside collective security formats that are old and solid, but will they really be effective today? Each of us can draw our own conclusions,” Skvernelis said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth recently warned NATO allies in Europe against assuming that the American troop presence on the continent would “last forever” and urged them to spend more on defence.
This has sparked discussions about a possible regional defence alliance among Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Paluckas warned against rushing to the conclusion that the US is an unreliable partner after the talk of a possible withdrawal of American troops from Europe and Washington’s decision to suspend military aid to Kyiv.
“Today, we are discussing, both in Europe and the US, and in our transatlantic community, how to stop the war in Ukraine, and this is not a simple discussion. If we had been able to find simple solutions, the war would likely have ended by now,” the prime minister said.
“I advise against making hot-headed statements,” he added.
According to Paluckas, a political regional grouping has already taken shape and includes the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland, and Germany.
“(The grouping) has strong political will regarding the events in Ukraine, and this will is being communicated both in Europe and in the United States. This is the right political and diplomatic grouping,” he said.
“But when it comes to defence, we must rely on NATO’s collective efforts,” the prime minister stressed.
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