According to Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, her country is already preparing for the worst case despite full loyalty to NATO. “You never know what can happen” she told “Welt am Sonntag”, adding that the “absolute top priority” must be strengthening the EU.
Facing possible changes to U.S. security guarantees, Lithuania bets on deterrence and self‑protection. Ruginiene said she hopes U.S. forces stay in Lithuania and that they remain confident in a strong NATO alliance. At the same time she underscored that Lithuania is also thinking about alternative scenarios: “We have to work hard to keep NATO strong, but we also have to work hard to strengthen the EU”. Europe must be ready to take on responsibility if Washington alters its role.
Concretely, Lithuania is preparing for the case where alliance assistance does not come immediately. “Even though we have a strong alliance and Article 5 applies, we know that for a short time we would be alone” she explained, referring to potential attack scenarios. During this phase Lithuania must stabilize the situation “until our partners arrive”. Accordingly, the presence of European troops is central: “If someone attacks our country, they attack the EU”.
Ruginiene also highlighted a range of hybrid threats from Belarus and Russia, including targeted breaches of Lithuanian airspace. “We are registering different attacks. Currently, for example, balloons from Belarus are deliberately entering our airspace” she said, noting that these involve a mix of smuggling (e.g., cigarettes) and hybrid attacks. She considers hybrid attacks and provocations the biggest danger. “In principle we treat all threats from Belarus or Russia as matters of national defence” the government chief concluded.
