Lithuanian MEP criticises foreign minister’s remarks on Kaliningrad as escalatory rhetoric

Lithuanian Member of the European Parliament Virginijus Sinkevičius has criticised recent statements by Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys regarding NATO’s potential to destroy military infrastructure in Russia’s Kaliningrad region, calling the rhetoric unnecessary and inflammatory, LRT reports.

Speaking to Žinių radijas on Friday, Sinkevičius said he did not understand the need for such remarks, arguing that politicians should instead focus on reassuring the public and investing in concrete deterrence measures.

“Right now, we should be investing in deterrence—not with words, but with actions,” Sinkevičius said. “We need to clearly communicate to the public that measures like the Kapčiamiestis training ground, air defence investments, and strengthening our military are meant to prevent war.”

He added that politicians should avoid rhetoric that could further escalate tensions, particularly in international media. “It’s strange that this is being discussed in a Swiss newspaper,” he noted.

Sinkevičius also warned that such statements risk provoking Washington, potentially jeopardising U.S. military support. “I’ve said before that we cannot afford rhetorical missteps that might upset the U.S. president and lead to a withdrawal of troops,” he said. “There’s also the question of whether our allies even understand our rhetoric.”

His comments follow Budrys’ recent interview with Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, where the foreign minister stated that NATO must demonstrate its ability to “completely destroy Russia’s air defence and missile bases in Kaliningrad in a critical situation.” The Kremlin condemned the remarks as “anti-Russian,” while Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused Lithuania of directly inciting an attack on a sovereign state, undermining European stability.

The exchange comes amid heightened tensions between Baltic states and Russia, marked by a series of drone incidents in which Ukrainian UAVs have allegedly strayed into Baltic airspace while targeting Russian assets in the Gulf of Finland. Moscow has accused the Baltics of allowing their territory to be used for Ukrainian attacks—a claim firmly denied by regional officials.