As stated by the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda in an interview with Bild media
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda expressed his dissatisfaction to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for failing to fulfill the promise of imposing new sanctions against Russia. In his interview with Bild, he commented on whether Merz undermined Europe’s trust by promising to tighten sanctions if Russia did not cease fire against Ukraine, but then failing to deliver on those promises.
“Undoubtedly. This is a problem. And it affects not only trust in our sanctions but also trust in all our measures regarding Russia and our support for Ukraine. We have repeatedly announced that we would support Ukraine and supply fighter jets, long-range missiles, and ammunition. But we cannot fulfill these promises.”
– Gitanas Nausėda
Nausėda emphasized that the Baltic and Northern European countries demonstrate how to effectively support Ukraine when there is political will. He noted that Ukrainians urgently need equipment and ammunition, not at some point in the future.
The Lithuanian president also stressed the importance of strengthening sanctions by the European Union so that the 18th package of restrictions against Russia becomes a real “Molotov cocktail.”
“Lithuania always demands the maximum. This means that, first of all, we must include all energy companies that supply money to the Russian state budget: Nord Stream, Rosatom, Gazprom, Lukoil. The rest of the Russian banks also need to be excluded from the SWIFT system, as well as the rest of the shadow fleet’s ships. Otherwise, we will be seen as weak and it will be assumed that Europe is unwilling to make bold decisions.”
– Gitanas Nausėda
Recall that on May 13, Friedrich Merz announced the intention of European countries to strengthen sanctions against Russia if the Russian leadership refused to agree to a 30-day ceasefire. Later, on May 15, he confirmed that the European Union is working on new sanctions in response to the Kremlin’s refusal to cease fire.