Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said that NATO possesses the means to destroy air defence capabilities in Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave on the Baltic coast.
"We must show the Russians that we are capable of breaking through their little fortress in Kaliningrad. If necessary, NATO has all the means to level the Russian air defence and missile bases there," the minister said in an interview with the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper published this week.Separately, on the social media platform X, the foreign minister claimed that Russia is deliberately directing Ukrainian drones toward the Baltic states while conducting a smear campaign against them.
PM urges restraintLithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene on Thursday urged restraint following Budrys’ comments.
"I have heard various statements, including those regarding redirected drones, and I believe that today we should refrain from sharper rhetoric," Ruginienė said.The prime minister made the comments during a government question hour in parliament on Thursday, after Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen asked for an assessment of the foreign minister's statements.His comments followed a claim by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service on Tuesday that Ukraine was allegedly preparing strikes against Russia from Baltic territory and that Ukrainian troops were already deployed in Latvia."Regarding reports that drones are being directed at Lithuania, there is no such data. Today it is important to remain calm, follow instructions clearly, and not create unnecessary waves where there are none," Ruginienė added.The prime minister said she viewed Budrys' remarks as an attempt to use deterrent rhetoric."I would very much like us to use the rhetoric of deterrence rather than escalation," Ruginienė said.
