President Gitanas Nausėda took part in a leaders’ discussion “Redefining Europe’s Place in the World” at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The discussion addressed the geopolitical challenges facing Europe, the changing international environment, issues of competitiveness, and ways to strengthen the European Union’s role globally.
The debate focused primarily on Russia’s war against Ukraine and how Europe can manage the threats it poses. The President emphasized that Russia remains a threat, continuously seeking to test the resolve of the West.
“Provocative actions reveal true intentions, and an inadequate response or appeasement only increase the risk of escalation. We must change Vladimir Putin’s calculations by increasing pressure on Russia and creating strategic dilemmas for it,” the President said.
President Gitanas Nausėda stressed that Europe’s security strategy has to be based on real military power, and underscored the need to allocate at least 5% of GDP to defense. He highlighted the importance of securing NATO’s eastern flank, and called for closer cooperation between the European Union and NATO to ensure speed, flexibility, and full alignment with the Alliance’s capability priorities.
During the discussion, the President also drew attention to the evolving prospects of U.S. involvement in European security, and emphasized that Europe must continue strengthening its own defense, technological, and industrial capacities. According to Gitanas Nausėda, the transatlantic relationship remains strong and irreplaceable, and cooperation with the United States should be maintained and consistently developed.
The President highlighted the growing number of “grey zone” attacks carried out by Russia and Belarus—from artificially induced illegal migration and airspace violations to GPS jamming, acts of sabotage, and disruptions of undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. According to the Lithuanian leader, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine would not be possible without China’s supply of dual-use technologies and support from North Korea, demonstrating that European and Asian security is closely interconnected.
Speaking about peace efforts in Ukraine, President Gitanas Nausėda stressed that lasting peace is only possible with strong security guarantees and real capabilities. “We appreciate the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and we welcome Europe’s active participation in these negotiations,” the President said. At the same time, he noted that Russia responds to every attempt to discuss peace with new attacks. “This proves that Moscow negotiates with missiles,” he emphasized.
The President pointed out that Lithuania supports the U.S.-led 20-point peace plan and the progress made on security guarantees for Ukraine. These guarantees have to be long-term, based on real European capabilities with U.S. backing, and include Ukraine’s membership in the European Union by 2030 at the latest. Lithuania stands ready to contribute to the implementation of security guarantees, including through the deployment of troops, and calls on other allies to do the same, as Ukraine today represents Europe’s first line of defense.
Addressing the issue of EU enlargement, the President emphasized that it is the European Union’s most effective geopolitical tool. He highlighted Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, and Montenegro as the most advanced candidate countries and stressed that it is difficult to envision the future European Union without Ukraine as a member.
In discussing values-based leadership, President Gitanas Nausėda drew attention to Europe’s dependence on Russian energy resources and the vulnerability this creates. He stressed the need for Europe to abandon imports of Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible, recalling that Lithuania completely ceased imports of Russian oil and gas in 2022 and has since become a regional example of energy resilience and an important regional gas supplier.
“Today is the moment for Europe to redefine its geopolitical role. We now have a unique opportunity to do so by making timely decisions and taking decisive action,” the Lithuanian leader stressed.
The discussion was also attended by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, ABN AMRO Bank CEO and Chair of the Board Marguerite Bérard, and Mistral AI co-founder and CEO Arthur Mensch.
Source: lrp.lt
