Negotiate with Russia with ‘Gun on the Table’, says Lithuanian Defense Minister

EXCLUSIVE: Growing up under Soviet domain, the Lithuanian Defense Minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, was not allowed to celebrate Christmas. His mother was born in a field of Siberian prisoners.

The crime?

His teenage brother was caught delivering brochures that said: “Lithuania is free.” After 50 years of Soviet occupation during the Cold War, many Lithuanians today distrust any negotiation with Russian President Vladimir Putin And they are seeing the next Kremlin movements.

“In my opinion, the only efficient diplomacy with Russia was what he said to Capone, the only good negotiation is when you have a weapon on the table. So that is the type of diplomacy that would work with Russia,” Šakalien warned during an interview at the Lithuanian embassy in Washington on Friday.

When asked if you could trust Putin, 46 -year -old defense minister, who once lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as an exchange student, replied: “Are you joking? After what was done to my family and Russia for generations, I don’t think you find any Lithuanian who can trust Vladimir Putin.”

The large -scale invasion of Russia of Ukraine now has more than three years. Since he returned to the office, President Donald Trump It has been involved in direct conversations with Russia to end the war.

Trump says Intel Pause in Ukraine has been “almost” raised; He says that tariffs will make rich in the United States

“Historically, Russia has never maintained an agreement,” said Šakalien. “Our only hope is that President Donald Trump’s hard and hard approach can be the only safeguard keeping Putin under control. So we hope that happens.”

Located in Eastern Europe, The population of Lithuania of 2.8 million in an area of ​​approximately the size of Virginia Occidental, the small country cannot afford to ignore Russia. He shares a border of 184 miles with Russia (Kalinningrad), as well as a 420 mile border with bellruse, which according to her is “now only a platform for the Russian army.”

She said: “They are trying to scare us. They are trying to make us feel insecure,” on the Russian forces next to.

Lithuania is increasing defense expense as a result of Russia setting its large -scale invasion of Ukraine and plans to overcome Trump’s demand that NATO allies spend 5% of GDP in defense. Šakalienė said his country expects to reach 6% for next year. Currently, the United States spends 3.4%.

Last month, the United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, also urged NATO allies To increase defense expense. “The United States will no longer tolerate an unbalanced relationship that foster dependence,” he warned at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on his first trip abroad.

As NATO Defense Minister, Šakalienė was there in Brussels. She applauded Hegesh’s comments, calling them a “ice water bucket.”

“I saw my colleagues’ faces. A lot of shock, a lot of stress,” he said. “No one in the room mentioned 2% (of GDP), which is so redundant, irrelevant, inappropriate. It has gone. It is old news.”

When asked why Western Europe has been behind in defense spending years after Russia seized 20% of Ukraine, Šakalienė replied: “I think that a large part of the democratic world was caught in this illusion of an idealistic world, which has never existed.”

She said that part of the illusion believed that wars have ended. Russia never thought in this way, he explained.

“The non -democratic part of the world has not changed. They are actually playing with their rules. Therefore, if they are not playing with our rules, our blindness is what puts us in this dangerous position.”

Trump threatens Russia sanctions, demands peace after the great successes in Ukraine

Šakalienė is the only Minister of Defense of NATO sanctioned by China. When asked about Beijing’s reasons to support Russia, his response could surprise some people.

“Russia can boost its military production so efficiently because China is feeding it,” he said. “It’s useful For China Having this war of exhaustion, and is also useful for China, although it supplies Russia, seeing Russia also losing many of its soldiers, many of its weapons and equipment, because a weaker Russia is more convenient for China. “

Despite the strong losses on the battlefield in Ukraine in the last three years, Russia is building an army Of 1.5 million soldiers, according to Šakalienė, who warned that Putin has “more imperial expansion plans in his hand.”

When Fox News sat at the Embassy of Lithuania on Friday, Trump was trying to ensure a mineral rights agreement with Ukraine and finally hopes to find a high fire agreement with Russia.

“If Russia violates the fire, the answer must be immediate and violent,” Šakalien urged.

When his reaction was asked for a report that Trump is considering not defending NATO allies who do not spend enough in defense, Šakalienė applauded Trump’s hard rhetoric, calling it “painful” but justified. “Everyone needs to contribute, sharing the load is the main rule if you really want to have a strong alliance.”

He pointed to the Baltic States and Poland as leading NATO members in defense spending as a percentage of GDP.

Last year, the European Union, That Lithuania is a member, she spent more in Russian oil and gas that helps Ukraine. Šakalienė said his country was “the first to cut” oil and Russian gas. “We were even supporting our neighbors, letés and Poles with energy supplies. So, for us, being independent of Russian energy is a matter of life and death.”

The first Lithuania LNG terminal was appointed “Independence,” according to Frank Fannon, who served in Trump’s first mandate as an assistant secretary of Energy Resources.

When Fox News sat at the embassy, ​​Lithuania had just announced that he would withdraw from the Cluster ammunition convention, an international agreement of more than 100 nations that prohibit cluster pumps. Šakalienė explained why Lithuania is retiring.

“We want to be ready to use anything and everything necessary to protect our borders. We do not want Russians to come to our homes again. We want to send a strategic message, a very clear message, that we will do anything to protect ourselves.”

Russian missile experts visited Iran amid the growing military ties

Lithuania, together with other European nations, also wants to withdraw from another treaty that is soon known as the Ottawa convention, which prohibits antipersonal land mines.

“This is a terrible weapon, just like cluster ammunition, but Russians are using weapons, including prohibited weapons. Therefore, we want to return the message,” he said.

In addition to Russia, China and USA Nor are parts of the agreement. In 2014, the United States announced that it would comply with the Ottawa convention, with the exception of land mines already deployed in the Korean peninsula.

Šakalienė, a deeply devout Christian, said that Russia is not only attacking Ukraine, but also the Christian faith.

“It was the Soviet Russia that tried to annihilate the Church in Ukraine, in Lithuania, in Poland. They have now revived their Christianity and are using it for KGB infiltration, for FSB infiltration, he said.” This is a betrayal. “

She continued: “When we see how the churches are bombarded in Ukraine, being stolen … the Christian community In Ukraine she is being killed and her beautiful inheritance is being destroyed. “

Click here to get the Fox News application

The Lithuanian Defense Minister ended the interview with a final warning.

“We tend to try to reduce our enemies. This is a mistake. You have to see them for what they are.”