Every occupied centimeter of Ukrainian land brings Russian terror closer to our doors - Lithuanian president believes that NATO strategies should change

This was emphasised by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in an article for The Washington Post.

"Time and quantity matter in this war. We must understand that every inch of Ukrainian land occupied by Putin's forces is bringing Russian terror closer to our doors. We must understand that this war concerns the world in which we and our children plan to live. Values ​​cannot defend themselves. If left unprotected, they will perish and democracy will be replaced by authoritarianism. That is why we need to choose between surrendering or defending our values. We need to choose Ukraine," Nauseda wrote.

He noted that NATO urgently needs to make adjustments to adapt to the new situation in world security.

"Russia has been publicly challenging the West for at least 15 years - first in Georgia, then in Ukraine's Crimea and Donbas in 2014. Despite all this, some Western countries continued to work with Moscow as if nothing had ever happened, and some even expanded cooperation. For decades, the West has not understood that Vladimir Putin's regime is expansionism, revisionism, violence, domination through fear and coercion. On February 24, 2022, everyone faced reality," the Lithuanian president wrote.

He believes that although the West has reacted to Russia's aggression, this is not enough to stop the war in Ukraine. Nauseda emphasises that Russia cannot be stopped by appeasement or concessions, because the Kremlin sees such gestures as a sign of weakness, as permission to intensify their offensive.

"We must clearly identify Russia as a certain long-term threat to the entire Euro-Atlantic region. NATO policy must be adjusted accordingly. There is no room for passive fluctuations and reassurance.

We must strengthen our defences. We can no longer believe in the policy of pre-reinforcement. We need to make sure that NATO has no weaknesses. It is important that no potential adversary be tempted to attack the alliance.

And, of course, we must make sure that Ukraine wins. NATO must provide Ukraine with all forms of support, especially heavy weapons - quickly and abundantly," - Gitanas Nauseda concluded.