Europe, Buckle Up: Lithuania’s Defense Minister Calls for a Speedy Security Sprint
Champion of “move faster”, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene has issued a friendly but firm pep‑talk to entire European nations. She’s urging everyone to zip up their security plans, especially after the Trump era triggered a wave of geopolitical twists and turns.
Why the Urgency?
With Russia’s relentless march through Ukraine, Sakaliene warns that the continent can’t afford to keep grazing slowly. “When you feel your own ass is burning,” she humorously notes, “you start to move faster.” It’s a vivid image of a nation in the rear seat of danger – and we’re all watching.
What’s Next?
She’s hopeful that Europe will “move faster in the next few months.” The timing is spot on: the war in Ukraine hits its fourth year, and strategists are scrambling to lock down a decisive plan to keep Kyiv and the rest of the continent safe.
The Global Chessboard
- The U.S. President is doubling down on diplomacy, extending talks with Moscow in hopes of cooling the tensions.
- The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is being sidestepped from the U.S.-Russian peace negotiations, a move that’s raising eyebrows across the region.
- Europe’s leaders must now step into the limelight and design a strategy that keeps the icy threat at bay.
Bottom Line
Sakaliene’s message? Don’t be lazy; let’s tighten up our defenses before the situation heats up even more. Europe’s got a pressing job to do – and it’s time for everyone to get into the driver’s seat.
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Sakaliene said at the conference in Kyiv, “We need to strengthen our transatlantic bond. Even though we are a dysfunctional family, a divorce is not an option,” the Kyiv Independent reported.
Lithuania’s former Foreign Minister Babrielius Landsbergis warned, “Europe has to understand we are in this fight most likely alone, there’s us and Ukrainians and no one else. We pick up this battle or lose.
“Is Europe actually alive? If it still hasn’t woken up, what’s happening with the patient?”
Landsbergis said that Europe should confiscate around $200 billion frozen assets and deploy peacekeepers inside Ukraine.
He said, “The only question that remains is whether we ask Putin for permission. It’s not a joke. Leaders in Europe say, ‘We will send troops if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin allows it.’
“This is the mentality, and we need to break it.”
Bsinessman and oligarch Viktor Pinchuk said at the conference, “Europe needs to completely change its understanding of this moment and do something simple but revolutionary use $300 billion frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, increase the military budget at least to 3%, spend much more money on supporting Ukraine and your own defence, send soldiers to Ukraine, and take Ukraine into the EU now, not later.
“This is the right response to this moment. You are not just witnesses to this moment; you are participants.”
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