The leader of Lithuania called President Donald Trump‘s address to the United Nations Tuesday “strong,” especially when it comes to protecting the border.
“The independent state has to control the border,” President Gitanas Nausėda said in an exclusive interview with Fox News.
Lithuania shares a 422-mile border with Belarus and a 161-mile border with Russia (Kaliningrad).
“We built the fence, a physical barrier, and provided the tools necessary for a modern surveillance system. Now the country’s safe,” Nausėda said. “We pushed back on those migrants who are coming into [our] country.”
Nausėda also approved of the tougher line the Trump administration is taking with Russia.
“It was a strong speech. It was a speech which covered very important topics,” he said. “Having the leverage that President Donald Trump has — he will be able to press Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiation table because we can do it only by proving our strength.”
Lithuania is one of the Baltic countries in northeast Europe with a population of 2.85 million. It has been a member of NATO and the European Union since 2004. Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941 and again from 1944 to 1990. On March 11, 1990, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare its independence, which became official in 1991.
The interview was conducted outside the United Nations shortly before President Trump posted on Truth Social that Ukraine can win the war and recover all of its territory currently “in its original form.” Trump also called Russia a “paper tiger.”
Today, Russia occupies about 20% of the country.
Nausėda said Putin isn’t ready for peace in Ukraine because of “old imperialist ambitions.”
The Lithuanian president addressed the UN General Assembly a few hours after Trump. “We do not believe in appeasement,” Nausėda said. When asked to elaborate, the president said: “I remember many leaders in Western Europe wanted to talk with Vladimir Putin, trying to appease him and to prevent him from aggression towards Ukraine. It didn’t help, and it probably led to the conclusion that there’s only one way to speak with Vladimir Putin — to speak through strength.”
Nausėda applauded Trump’s effort to encourage European nations to impose sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions on those who purchase Russian oil and gas.
The Lithuanian president had harsh words for some members of the European Union who continue to do business with Russia.
“There shouldn’t be a tradeoff between economic benefits and geopolitical goals because we are talking about our security. If we pay for Russian gas or oil today, tomorrow we might be attacked because this money fuels Russia’s war machine.”
Two months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania ended its imports of Russian oil and gas.
Asked if Putin might one day attack a NATO nation, Nausėda replied, “We should be prepared. We should do anything in our hands to deter [them.] I believe in deterrence, but we have to build a credible wall of deterrence. This is the reason why Lithuania’s very enthusiastic about President Donald Trump’s appeal to spend more on defense. We are ready to spend 5% and more. 2035 is not okay for us. We want to spend between 5 and 6% starting in 2026.”
In March, Lithuania’s defense minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, told Fox News the only way to negotiate with Putin is with a “gun on the table.”
Today, one-fifth of Lithuania’s military procurement is spent on American weapons, the president said.
After a recent breach of NATO airspace over another Baltic country, Estonia, by three armed Russian MiG-31 Foxhounds, Nausėda said his country would be ready to act should such a violation occur over his country. “We have sufficient capabilities,” he said.
Asked about reports the Pentagon was cutting some security funding for the Baltic States, Nausėda did not appear overly concerned. “It’s not a final decision.”
Lithuania, along with the other Baltic States, recently announced it would leave the Ottawa Convention, allowing them to deploy anti-personnel landmines as the country beefs up its border to better protect itself from neighboring Russia and Belarus.
Nausėda hopes the 1,200 American soldiers currently deployed to his country will remain. Four were killed during a training accident in March. They were given full military honors in the capital.
“Vilnius is [a] great capital. We have very nice nature, and we have very friendly people,” Nausėda said.
