Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite informed US President Donald Trump about “specific threats to Lithuania” at the meeting between the leaders of the region and the U.S. president in Warsaw, announced the President’s office in Lithuania on Thursday.
On Thursday, the U.S. president met the leaders of 12 Eastern and Central European countries, including Lithuania, at the capital of neighbouring Poland.
According to the announcement from the President’s office, Grybauskaite presented to Trump “specific security situation in the region and Lithuania’s defence needs.”
“The president highlighted that the current geopolitical and military tensions haven’t been abated,” said the President’s office in the announcement, citing “active militarisation” in the neighbouring Kaliningrad exclave, the upcoming military exercise Zapad 2017, “continuous cyber attacks aimed at paralysing strategic sectors at NATO member countries” as the main threats.
“According to the president, active role of the US is keystone for pan-European security,” said the President’s office.
Grybauskaite also stressed the need for the alliance to renew itself.
“According to the President, Lithuania and other members need even more rapid and more efficient NATO,” said the President’s office.
The head of the Baltic state called for efforts to reform and speed up the process of decision making at the alliance and redeploy its military forces and command to the Eastern flank of NATO, as well as find the ways to “prevent possible military isolation of the Baltic States,” according to the announcement.
Lithuania, the Baltic State with a population of less than 3 million, has cited increased security tensions in the Eastern Europe following conflicts in the Eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Since then, the country has stepped up its defense capabilities and asked for an increased allied military presence on its territory. (china.org)