Budrys says Russia must not dictate NATO forces in the region

Lithuania would reject any European security agreement that gave Russia leverage to restrict NATO force deployments in the region, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said, according to LRT.

Budrys was speaking on Tuesday as the United States, Ukraine and Russia held talks in Abu Dhabi. Long-term European security issues could also be discussed, reports said.

“It is fundamentally unacceptable for Lithuania to consider a return to the era of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, or any other arrangements that would give Russia a say over what forces can be in our region while it does whatever it wants on its own territory,” Budrys told the news portal 15min.

He said Moscow was seeking agreements of this kind and that restrictions on allied forces in Lithuania or the region would have existential consequences for the country. That was why the government programme stated that Lithuania would not accept restrictions on the deployment of weapons in the country or the region, he said.

Budrys said no agreements on European security could be reached without European countries taking part. Lithuania must be involved in any discussions, he said, because they would concern the country, its region and NATO’s border. European Union institutions should represent Europe in the talks, but the bloc has yet to agree on how to do so.

He said discussions on new European security arrangements should come only after a ceasefire in Ukraine, agreement on peace terms and security guarantees for Kyiv. For this winter, he added, it was particularly important to ensure military, energy and financial support for Ukraine.