Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis is pleased that Sweden is getting closer to joining NATO.
In an interview with SvD, he opens up that the Lithuanian military could help defend Gotland. He sees the risk that Russia’s war could spread to the Baltics as highly significant.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis welcomes Sweden’s entry into the NATO military alliance.
– Sweden is a serious military power that strengthens NATO, especially in the Baltic Sea. I am very happy about the recent Swedish decision to station a battalion in Latvia. It really indicates commitment, he says SvD.
Open to defend Gotland
He is in Sweden to discuss regional security, support for Ukraine and Nordic-Baltic cooperation with ministers and parliamentarians. He tells SvD that he hopes that Lithuania and Sweden can now have expanded cooperation.
– Sweden has been a naval power for hundreds of years and has very capable marine expertise. Therefore, we would like to see a closer cooperation regarding the defense of ports. We could also carry out training and exercises together.
The foreign minister believes that Gotland’s location in the Baltic Sea will be an asset for NATO. He is open to the possibility that the Lithuanian military could help defend the Swedish island.
Lithuania in a vulnerable position
Lithuania borders Russia’s ally Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kalingrad. After Progozhin’s coup, the Wagner Group placed some of its bases five kilometers from the Lithuanian border.
– When they train and shoot, you hear it in Lithuania, says Landsbergis.