say, erdogan C C stop their
admission to nato.o.
Judy: Y Y had a full day todayay
you also spoke with the
president of L lhuania.
Whwh was the message he and thehe
other balticiceaders had today?
Nick: Thehe arrived with aa
concern that T tir countries
could be T T next Russian
target.
That is a product O some of
their intetections with Russia
recently, but also a product of
their historyry
Lithuania a S occupied of the
soviet union andndriefly by nazii
Germany.
Ititecame independede in 1991
and joined nato in 2004.
Just I I the last week, tensions
increaseseecause I element in a
ban on that -- onn goods.
I spoke to the president I iide
the susuit this afternoon.
>> Thank you verer much for
joining us.
When you arrivededere, youaid
it's ----his was the last chancece
to adopt decisions that T ll be
strongngnough to start russisi
do you believe the decisioio
takenoday are adequate?
>> I thinknkt fully meets our
expectations..
We have toto U uerstand that
situation isisangerous,,he
situation is veryyerious and we
ve to take bold, dececive
decisions.
I have too S Shere is a certain
satisfaction that itit was really
storic.
Nick: Nato will increase the
number of F oops in the B btics,
U have been calling F F many
morerehan that.
Isishat level sufficient?
>> We E ve to admit that
currentltl we are not ready, we
willllot have sufficient
infrastructutu to accommodate
ththbrigade size the unit and
this is theeason why we have
to speed up the process.
Nick: You S sd that no part off
nato shohod have any weakness,
but nato's most vulnerable part
is the gap beteten mainland
ruruia and the Russian enclave,
how vulnlnable is it?
>> This nato summit is a green
light for preparation in order
toto aware of these risksks and
to deal with this threaea
adequately.
Nick: Last weeee Lithuania
stopped goods traraling B B train
betwtwn Russia and Belarus andnd
leningrad.
Russia has madadthreats in
response to that.
How seriris do you believe the
Russian possibility of
responding milititily is?
>> I don't bebeeve in such a a
scenario bececse sinin 2004, we
are a nato membebeand we have
clear assurances also repeated
our president jojobiden that
article five is separare,
rocksolid,d, and it'not so easy
to makearm would Lithuania
becacae we D dur homework.
Since the very beginning, we
realized thatussia is a
ng-term threat, and probably
have to be prepared..
Nick: How do you U lieve the war
in Ukraine should D D?
>> Vladimir putut shohod end
thisisar.
If itt will Bebe notothe case, that
situation, European and
inteteational situation wililbe
very complicated andndery
dangerers.
We have to avoid T ts scenario.
Nick: French presisint macron
has said Europeans and thehe way
ould avoid humiliatingngussia.
Is thehe an eastern
european-western E eopeanivide
over this?
>> Don't understanan thisind
of R rtoric, B base Russia
huhuliated itself such by
starting this war..
We have to do our B bt in O oer
to support ukrkrne in this warar
Nick: Do you fear thaha some
western coununies could end up
pressuringng?
The P psident?
>>>> It would bee morally
unacceptable too push ukrkrne to
makekeny concessionsnsrom the
teteitory.
Nickck do you believe there's
pressure on Ukraine E concede
teteitory?
>> I don't ththk so.
I belilie in unity which Hass
certain ambibions.
This kind of unity I trust andnd
saw this unityy here E Madrid.
Ck: Over the papa few weeks
scow has withheld somemeatural
gas S om Europe.
U work for years to acaceve
energygyndependence from russisi
do Y Y belelve the rest of the
europeanannion is trying to
pursue the same policies S at
you are,e,nd can they?
>> I thihi they will bee pressed
to pursue the sameme policy, butut
we U uerstand very well that if
you do not start T Tay, you will
not get the result to O morrow.
Toto do the same asasithuaniaid,
toet all the illususns about
Russia or engagegent with
Russia.
Nick:: S sir officials admittete
there Wass no plan B, thehe were
no P pns at all not to O E
russian eneney.
>> I remememr my conversrsions
with former chanceceor Angela
rkel.
But thth decided to go this way.
Nick: Late last year you allowed
Taiwan to pop a diplomatic
office a a listen when H H
appepeed it was the first titi
any E.U. Memberr hadllowed a
didiomatic office inside T T
E.U..
You saiai yououere consultedn
the namemehange, but overall,
why do O U believe it is
important for this wayayeed to
support Taiwan??
>> This is the office W
estataish and lititania.
The E action of Chinese
authorities --- we are country
which tries to respect the
principles andndalues, sometimes
we pay a high H ice for that,
but thisiss our policy towards
other countrieie which arere
fighting fororheir freedom.
I think lithuhuia is very
consistent with thisis
sometimes we are inn example for
some larger R entries.