NATO countries at risk: Lithuanian Foreign Minister warns of terrorism threat
On Monday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis warned about the threat of terrorist attacks in NATO countries. He conveyed these warnings during a meeting of all foreign ministers in the European Union in Brussels.
2:38 PM EDT, May 27, 2024
Gabrielius Landsbergis pointed out to his European counterparts that Russia is intensifying hybrid activities in the Baltic states, Poland, and other countries. In his view, Russia may be preparing terrorist attacks in NATO countries.
According to the PAP agency, Landsbergis emphasized that a troubling phenomenon is Western governments' fear of firmly counteracting these Russian plans. "We are afraid of what Russia might think, how Russia might react, how Russia might act, and this fear of ours looks like an invitation," the Lithuanian minister said.
The politician stressed that a lack of response might encourage Russia to escalate and plan further such incidents. Hesitation from EU countries might also, in his opinion, worsen the situation in Ukraine.
According to Landsbergis, Russians might still carry out "horrific attacks on civilian facilities," "destruction of supermarkets, killing children, women, and innocent people," simultaneously causing damage in NATO countries.
Russia encouraged to commit acts of terrorism? Lithuanian foreign minister warns
He recalled already conducted sabotage campaigns and hybrid attacks that Russia has recently performed in several NATO countries, including Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. "It feels that it has been invited and counts on the fact that we will not react in any significant way," comments Gabrielius Landsbergis.
According to him, the method to combat escalation from Russia is to support Ukraine by allowing Ukraine to use weapons in the way it needs to use them.
