Russia’s sea border plans may be part of wider action against NATO – president

President Gitanas Nausėda says Russia’s plans to unilaterally extend its maritime border into Lithuanian and Finnish waters may be part of a wider-scale action against NATO. Lithuania’s ambassador to NATO has already expressed Vilnius’ concern about the unfolding situation to his colleagues in the Alliance, he said.

„First of all, let us be clear about the level of the document we are talking about. The information is unconfirmed, so it is at the level of a half-rumour for now. I would like to remind you that Lithuania has a treaty with the Russian Federation that dates back to 1997 and took effect in 2003. Any change to the terms of the treaty would be a unilateral breach of the international agreement,“Nausėda told reporters in Ignalina on Wednesday.

„It is possible that this is part of Russia’s wider action against NATO. The report has certainly alarmed us – even unconfirmed information is also a piece information. That is why Deividas Matulionis, Lithuania’s representative to NATO, expressed our concerns this morning at an informal meeting of ambassadors and shared them with other allies,“ Nausėda said, adding that the ambassadors’ formal meeting is due this evening.

Russia may also be seeking to provoke certain reactions from the Western countries and Lithuania, the president noted.