Lithuania's Foreign Minister: "Brussels Is the Softest Target of All"
Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kęstutis Budrys, joined me on The Lisa Burke Show with a message he delivered with real urgency: Europe must wake up to the war he believes is already being waged against it.
Drawing on more than 20 years in national security and intelligence, he described a country living with sustained hybrid attack: drones crashing on Lithuanian territory, fighter jets violating airspace, undersea cables sabotaged, civil aviation disrupted by GPS jamming, and plots targeting opposition figures.
The softest target
His sharpest words, though, were for Brussels.
I never felt that Lithuania is a soft target. I saw Brussels always as the softest target of all.
He recounted how Lithuania spent decades removing Russian influence from its energy, transport and financial sectors, work he believes much of Europe has yet to begin. He pointed to continued purchases of Russian LNG and Rosatom's presence in European nuclear projects as evidence of complacency, and acknowledged that critics in the United States have a point when they raise it.
If we are not doing this, there will be a huge price. And believe me, that price will be much higher than 5% of GDP.
Ukraine
On Ukraine, the minister expressed cautious optimism. In his view, Ukrainian forces have halted Russian advances and are inflicting losses Russia cannot sustain, and a strategic turning point could come within the next year if Europe maintains political and financial pressure. He was firm that territorial concessions are not on the table for Lithuania.
We will never recognise the occupation of Ukrainian territory, neither de jure nor de facto.
Looking to 2027
Lithuania takes over the EU Council presidency in January 2027, and Mr Budrys outlined a security-first agenda: accelerating enlargement for Ukraine and Moldova, building economic defences against hostile actors, and treating the Union as a geopolitical force rather than a collection of national interests.
It was a frank and uncompromising interview. Whether or not you share all of his conclusions, his perspective from Europe's eastern edge is one every European should hear.
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