Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda made it known on Monday that he has called on NATO to pay more attention to Belarus in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, as «it is clear» that it is participating in the war by putting itself «at the complete disposal» of Moscow and its interests.
«There are Russian soldiers on the territory of Belarus, ready to go to the war zones in Ukraine,» President Nauseda has said in an interview for the Current Time TV channel, owned by the U.S. broadcaster Radio Free Europe.
«We have to think about it,» said Nauseda, who confirmed that Lithuania has contacted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to request that the Alliance pay more attention «to the factor» Belarus.
Nauseda stressed that Lithuania shares more than 600 kilometers of border with Belarus and that it has been the victim of «hybrid attacks», mainly, he explained, through the use of illegal immigration. «We have built barriers, (…) but, of course, none will help us against missiles.»
On the other hand, the Lithuanian president warned that episodes like the one that happened last week in Poland in which two people were killed by the fall of a Ukrainian missile that had supposedly been launched to repel a Russian attack will continue to occur as the current war continues.
«Similar incidents may be repeated in the future. We cannot rule out the possibility of this happening in my country, in Poland or others on NATO’s eastern flank,» warned Nauseda, who also called for a greater presence of anti-missile systems to increase security.
«Russia deliberately seeks to attack Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure (…)approaching the western borders and at any moment the projectiles can deviate from their trajectories. Unfortunately, if Russia continues this policy, these incidents will continue to occur,» he has said.
