Grybauskaitė: Russia will remain a threat while Putin is in power.

Former Lithuanian President: Russian threat over Europe under Putin

Former President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė stated that the Russian threat over Europe will exist as long as Vladimir Putin remains in power.

Grybauskaitė also emphasized that the situation could become even more complicated if Donald Trump becomes the President of the United States. In this case, according to her, the West will not have Time for discussions and will have to act in the field of defense immediately.

According to Grybauskaitė, a peace agreement that involves retaining the occupied territories of Ukraine, as desired by Putin, will only grant Russia time to prepare a new aggression against neighboring countries, including the Baltic states.

"If we in the West and NATO allow Ukraine to make concessions and reach such a compromise, it will mean that the West was unable to confront a terrorist state on our borders. It will also give Russia more time to prepare a new phase of aggression against its neighbors. And it won't necessarily be the Baltic countries - it could be Moldova or even Georgia," Grybauskaitė said.

Grybauskaitė stressed that Moscow will remain a threat as long as Putin remains in power, as there is no way back for him after the started war.

The former president is confident that the results of the US elections will affect relations with Russia and create new challenges for the European Union, regardless of who wins.

"If Donald Trump wins, the challenges will be so great that there will be no time for discussions and reflections - decisions will have to be made. From this perspective, Europe is obliged to take a serious position and quickly invest in the defense industry, develop military capabilities, and accelerate the decision-making process. There will be no time for discussion. Putin will not allow us time for discussions," Grybauskaitė emphasized.