THAT WERE ONCE UNDER THE THUMB
OF SOVIET RULED PASSED
RESOLUTIONS URGING THE U.N. TO
ESTABLISH A NO-FLY ZONE OAFVER
UKRAINE.
THE CHAIR OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE HAS BEEN ON THE HILL
TESTIFYING ABOUT RUSSIAN
AGGRESSION AND BALTIC SECURITY.
I WANT TO START ON THE ISSUE OF
A NO-FLY ZONE.
YOU HAVE PARLIAMENTS IN ALL
THROW OF THOSE COUNTRIES WHO
COME OUT IN FAVOR OF IT.
WHAT'S THE POLITICS BEHIND THAT
AND WHAT'S YOUR BELIEF IN
WHETHER OR NOT THIS SHOULD OR
COULD BE PUT IN PLACE?
>> FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE
PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACIES.
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A CALL FROM
OUR PEOPLE.
NOT JUST POLITICIANS.
SO, THEREFORE, OF COURSE WE ARE
DELIVERING OF WHAT OUR SOCIETY IS DEMANDING OF POLITICIANS.
IS DEMANDING OF POLITICIANS.
I KNOW THE, YOU KNOW, THE
RATIONALE ON A NO-FLY ZONE,
RUSSIA HAVING VETO AND ET
CETERA.
IF BALTIC COUNTRIES HAD THE
CAPABILITY THE REST OF NATO
COUNTRIES DO HAVE LIKE, SAY, THE
MAJOR PLAYERS, WE WOULD NOT
HESITATE TO PROVIDE THE NO-FLY
ZONES OVER THE CORRIDORS FOR
HUMANITARIANS AND ALSO WHEN IT
COMES TO NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS.
THERE ARE 15 OF THEM IN UKRAINE.
IF SOMETHING HAPPENS WITH THOSE,
IT'S NOT JUST A DISASTER IN
UKRAINE, IT WILL AFFECT THE REST
OF THE WORLD AS WELL.
>> AGGRESSIVE IS NOT THE RIGHT
WORD BUT I FEEL LIKE THE BALTIC
COUNTRIES HAVE A MUCH MORE
ROBUST POSTURE TOWARD PUTIN.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT
AGGRESSION THAT THE REST OF THE
WEST IS LEARNING NOW?
>> WELL, FIRST THING IS YOU
CANNOT TRUST AND YOU CANNOT EVEN
DIVE INTO THOSE LIES THAT ARE
COMING FROM RUSSIA.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY
CLEAR ON YOUR DEFENSE POSTURE
AND WHEN IT COMES TO, YOU KNOW,
RIGHT NOW DISCUSSIONS ON WHAT
MIGHT BE THE NEXT PLANS FOR
PUTIN, I THINK THIS IS PRECISELY
WHAT PUTIN WANTS US TO DO, TO BE
PREOCCUPIED OF THINKING WHAT
MIGHT BE HIS NEXT STEPS.
I THINK WHAT THE WEST HAS TO DO
RIGHT NOW IS ACTUALLY PUT ON THE
TABLE ALL THE WORST SCENARIOS
AND ACCORDINGLY PREPARE, YOU
KNOW, PREPARATION, ET CETERA.
I THINK THE WORST THING RIGHT
NOW THAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR,
IT'S NOT THE WORST BUT IT'S NOT
A GOOD THING, IS THAT WE HAVE
SAID ALREADY WHAT WE'RE NOT
GOING TO DO.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING FOR PUTIN
IS ALWAYS GOING AFTER -- IF YOU
HESITATE, HE WILL STRIKE.
>> SO YOU'VE BEEN HERE MEETING
WITH LAWMAKERS, TALKING ABOUT
SECURITY NEEDS.
WHAT DOES LATVIA, WHAT DO THE
BALTICS NEED FROM NATO AND FROM
THE UNITED STATES?
>> WELL, FROM THE UNITED STATES
PARTICULARLY, THAT IS -- LAST
WE'RE WE WERE THREE BALTIC
CHAIRS OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS
VISITED CAPITAL AND THE MAIN
MESSAGE WAS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE
A MORE LARGER U.S. TROOPS
PRESENCE IN THE BALTICS.
>> PERMANENT TROOPS PRESENCE?
>> EXACTLY, PERMANENT.
ONE THING THAT PUTIN REALLY
FEARS IS U.S. ARMY.
ABSOLUTELY, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
YES, WE ARE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF
THE COMMITMENTS THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT HAS MADE.
WE HAVE U.S. TROOPS ON THE
GROUND, BUT, I MEAN, WHEN IT
COMES TO THE NUMBERS, IT'S STILL
NOT ENOUGH DETERRENT FOR RUSSIA
AND FOR THE PUTIN AS WELL.
ANOTHER DIMENSION IS AS WE ALL
OBSERVE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN
UKRAINE, HOW RUSSIA IS
CONDUCTING THE WAR ON UKRAINE,
WE LOOK AT ITS STRENGTHS AND ITS
WEAKNESSES AND WE SEE THE RUSSIA
STRENGTH IS THE SUPREMACY OVER
THE AIR.
WHEN IT COMES TO BALTIC
COUNTRIES, I MEAN, WE HAVE THE
SAME WEAKNESS.
THAT IS THE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS.
SO THIS IS WHAT WE ARE CALLING
RIGHT NOW URGENTLY TO ADDRESS
THAT.
BECAUSE ON TOP OF ALL THESE
THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING, WE ARE
SUPPORTING MILITARILY UKRAINE AS
WELL, SENDING JAVELINS, SENDING
THE AIR DEFENSE, YOU KNOW,
MANPOWER SYSTEMS, WHICH MEANS
OUR STOCKS ARE EMPTY.
>> THAT'S A HARD CALCULATION.
>> EXACTLY.
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WE ARE
RIGHT NOW THE FRONTIER DEFENDING
DEMOCRACY, THE WEST.
SO THEREFORE RIGHT NOW EITHER WE
STAND OR WE FALL.
SO, THEREFORE, ALL WE ASK IS
REALLY RATIONAL.
IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, MAKING
PANIC.
THIS IS REALLY ASSESSMENT OF THE
SECURITY DIMENSIONS THAT WE ARE
SEEING IN OUR REGION.
WE CAN'T FORGET THAT ON TOP OF
RUSSIA'S INVASION IN UKRAINE,
BELARUS IS PLAYING A CRUCIAL
PART AS WELL.
IN OUR VIEW AND ASSESSMENT,
BELARUS HAS BECOME ALREADY 100%
ON RUSSIA, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, I
THINK IT'S DE FACTO ALREADY
RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO
THE MILITARY.
I WOULD CALL IT THE SIXTH
DISTRICT OF THE RUSSIAN
FEDERATION.
>> PRESIDENT BIDEN IS TRAVELING
THERE NEXT WEEK.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM
MIEDEN
PRESIDENT BIDEN WHEN HE'S ON THE
GROUND IN EASTERN EUROPE?
>> THIS IS WHAT I STATED ON THE HELSINKI COMMISSION.
HELSINKI COMMISSION.
RIGHT NOW IT'S THE LATIN PHRASE,
IT'S WHAT IS NEEDED NOW, NOT THE
WORDS, THE DEED.
WE NEED TO GO FROM WORDS TO
DEEDS AND HOW MORE WE CAN ASSIST
UKRAINE AND HOW MORE WE CAN
BOOSTER THE DEFENSE CAPABILITIES