NEEDED TO STOP THEM HERE.
>> THAT ARE THE STAKES FOR THE
UKRAINIAN MILITARY.
RICHARD ENGLE REPORTING FOR US
THERE.
AS RUSSIAN FORCES STRUGGLE IN
UKRAINE, THE REST OF EUROPE IS
ANXIOUSLY ANTICIPATING VLADIMIR
PUTIN'S NEXT MOVE.
ESPECIALLY TRUE WITH LITHUANIA
WHO SHARES A BORDER WITH RUSSIA
AND BELARUS.
BUT THE GOVERNMENT THERE TOOK A
HISTORIC STEP OVER THE WEEKEND,
BECOMING THE FIRST EUROPEAN
UNION MEMBER TO FULLY CUT TIES
WITH RUSSIAN GAS. JOINING US NOW, THE PRESIDENT OF
JOINING US NOW, THE PRESIDENT OF
LITHUANIA, GITTANAS FASUSEDA.
WE'VE HEARD SO MUCH RELUCTANCE
ACROSS EUROPE SAYING WE CANNOT
IMMEDIATELY CUT TIES WITH RUSSIA
OVER OIL AND GAS BECAUSE OF WHAT
IT WOULD DO TO OUR OWN ECONOMY,
WE HAVE TO WEAN OURSELVES OFF IF
AT ALL.
HOW DIFFICULT OF A DECISION WAS
IT FOR YOU?
>> GOOD MORNING.
YES, THIS DECISION AND
HISTORICALLY WE HAVE EVEN LARGER
ALLIANCE DEPENDENCE ON THE
RUSSIAN ENERGY RESOURCES.
SINCE GAINING OUR INDEPENDENCE,
THEY'RE HIGHLY EXPOSED TO
RUSSIAN ENERGY RESOURCES,
RUSSIAN ENERGY IMPORTS.
BUT TEN OR EVEN MORE YEARS
BEFORE THEY JUST REALIZED THAT
WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY ILLUSIONS
REGARDING RUSSIA.
SO WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING IN
ORDER TO MAKE OUR ALLIANCE ON
RUSSIAN ENERGY RESOURCES LESS
EVERY YEAR.
SO THIS WAS THE REASON WHY THE
TAB LISHED LNG TERMINAL IN OUR
PORT CITY, WE IMPLEMENTED VERY
IMPORTANT ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
PROJECTS TO BE FORWARD AND IN
THE BALTIC STATES AND BALTIC
ELECTRICITY LINK TO SWEDEN. SO THIS IS THE REASON WHY
SO THIS IS THE REASON WHY
NOWADAYS LUGE
NOWADAYS -- LITHUANIA IS WILLING
TO TIE IN THE ENERGY SECTOR AND
THEN OTHER COUNTRIES WILL
FOLLOW.
SO WE WANT TO SHOW THE EXAMPLE
IF YOU WANT, YOU ARE ABLE.
AND THIS IS POSSIBLE.
LOOK, FRIENDS, YOU CAN DO THE
SAME.
AND I HOPE THAT OTHER COUNTRIES
WILL FOLLOW OUR EXAMPLE AND AS
YOU KNOW, OTHER BALTIC COUNTRIES
IMMEDIATELY JOINED OUR EFFORTS
AND NOW THE -- WE ARE NOT TO BUY
THE RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS ANY
MORE.
AND WE ARE PUTTING THE EFFORTS
TO REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCY ON
ENERGY SECTORS TOO.
>> AND YOU'RE ON THE LEADING
EDGE OF THIS.
AND WE'LL SEE IF OTHER COUNTRIES
FOLLOW SUIT.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS THAT YOU'RE
TAKING BY DOING THIS?
IMMEDIATE RISKS.
YOU DO SHARE A BORDER WITH
RUSSIA AND SHARE A BORDER WITH
BELARUS.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE POTENTIAL
RISK OF TAKING THIS STEP?
>> WE ARE FACING THE SAME AS ALL
OF EUROPE IS FACING.
AND THOSE THREATS ARE NOT ONLY
OF ENERGY NATURE OR ENERGY
BLACKMAILING NATURE.
THE REST ARE MILITARY AND
LITHUANIA IS SANDWICHED BETWEEN
HEAVILY MILITARIZED REGION WHICH
BELONGS TO RUSSIA AND BELARUS.
AND BELARUS IS -- WAS A -- THE
PART OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION, TOO.
SO THOSE BOTH COUNTRIES ARE
HEAVILY MILITARIZED AS I
MENTIONED.
THEY SEE A LOT OF MILITARY
EQUIPMENT THERE.
MISSILES SYSTEMS, TROOPS, SO
THIS IS A REASON WHY WE HAVE TO
REACT AND WE ARE DOING OUR OWN
WORK TO INCREASE OUR DEFENSE
SPENDING.
WE INCREASED IT UP TO 2.5% OF
GDP THIS YORE.EAR AND WE ARE
COMMITTING TO INCREASE IT IN
NEXT YEARS TOO.
BUT WE ALSO ADDRESSED NATO IN
ORDER JUST TO PAY MORE ATTENTION
TO THE EASTERN FLANK OF NATO.
AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, THAT
WE HAVE NOT DO DIVIDE NATO ALIES
IN DIFFERENT SECURITY.
THIS NATO AS A WHOLE SAW THAT
SECURITY OF NATO SHOULD BE
PROVIDED BY 100%. SO THIS IS A REASON WHY WE NEED
SO THIS IS A REASON WHY WE NEED
NOT ONLY A RHETORICS, WE NEED
DEPLOYMENT OF MILITARY FORCES
AND THIS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE THE POSITIVE DECISIONS
BY MANY ALLIANCE, UNITED STATES,
GERMANY WHICH IS LEADING HERE,
THE PRESENCE IN LITHUANIA AND I
KNOW THE SAME DECISIONS THEY
TAKE IN WE ARE TAKING IN ARE OUR
BALTIC NEIGHBORS TOO.
SO WE THINK WE HAVE TO BUILD THE
DEFENSE HERE IN THIS PART OF
EUROPE AND THEN IT WILL SERVE AS
A BEST DETERRENCE FACTOR FOR
RUSSIA.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, IN VLADIMIR
PUTIN, YOU HAVE A DANGEROUS AND
VERY LETHAL NEIGHBOR.
AND THE WORLD HAS WITNESSED THE
SAVAGERY OF WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN
SPAWNS IN UKRAINE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY WORRIES ABOUT
RUSSIA ENCROACHING UPON YOUR
COUNTRY AND IN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH PUTIN, DO YOU THINK THERE
WITH PUTIN, DO YOU THINK THERE
IS ANYTHING THAT COULD MAKE HIM
STOP?
>> I THINK, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF
ALL, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY
ILLUSIONS REGARDING PUTIN'S
REGIME.
AND WE ARE ABSOLUTELY ASSURED
THAT IF PUTIN DOES SUCCEED IN
UKRAINE, THAT THERE WILL BE MORE
TARGETS.
AND PROBABLY HE WILL TRY TO
IMPLEMENT THIS -- HIS DREAM TO
RE-ESTABLISH SOVIET UNION IN ONE
OR ANOTHER SHAPE.
SO THIS IS A REASON WHY WE ARE
READY TO DEFEND OURSELVES.
BUT I THINK THAT MOST IMPORTANT
FAKER
-- THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS
THE SUCCESS OF MILITARY FIGHT OF
UKRAINIANS IN UKRAINE.
IF RUSSIA THOUGH FAIL IN
UKRAINE, OF COURSE IT WILL BE
THE BEST INSTRUMENT, THE BEST
LEVERAGE TO STOP IT.
AND PROBABLY THE HIGHEST
PRIORITY FOR EVERY ONE OF US IS
TO STOP PUTIN IN UKRAINE. BECAUSE IF HE WILL NOT BE TOPPED
BECAUSE IF HE WILL NOT BE TOPPED
THERE, HE WILL LOOK FOR OTHER
TARGETS AND THOSE TARGETS MOT
MIGHT NOT ONLY BE BALTIC
COUNTRIES, I THINK MAJORITY OF
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.