Lithuanian speaker cautions against escalatory rhetoric on Kaliningrad

Lithuania’s parliamentary speaker Juozas Olekas has urged restraint in public statements about NATO’s potential actions in Russia’s Kaliningrad region, stating that “not everything always needs to be said,” LRT reports.

Olekas, a Social Democrat, acknowledged the need for adversaries to be aware of Lithuania’s and its allies’ defensive capabilities but warned that such statements should not fuel narratives of escalation. “We must always strike a balance,” he told Žinių Radijas on Wednesday. “I believe we must be prepared—and we are taking all defensive measures to ensure Lithuania is not attacked or its territory seized. The Kaliningrad region is also a focus, but perhaps not everything needs to be said, or it must be said in the right context.”

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

President Gitanas Nausėda described Budrys’ statement as “not the most successful,” though he opposed calls for the minister’s resignation, advising instead to avoid such rhetoric. Prime Minister Ingrida Ruginienė defended the remarks as “deterrence rhetoric.”

Kaliningrad remains a key Russian military hub, hosting missile systems capable of targeting the entire Baltic Sea region. The latest exchange coincides with heightened tensions between Russia and the Baltic states over drone incidents, with Moscow accusing Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia of allowing Ukrainian drones to use their airspace for attacks—a claim all three nations deny.