We are preparing for war, Lithuanian diplomat Pavilionis says

This opinion was expressed by the head of the United4Ukraine organization, deputy chairman of the Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Committee, Žygimantas Pavilionis, on the air of Espreso.

"Yes, we are preparing for war. And I think that the mood in the Nordic countries, in the Baltics, in Poland, even in Germany, is actually a mood of general preparation for war. We are learning from the Ukrainians how to do this, because you are the best teachers here. But, of course, it all depends on how much time we have. If we cannot protect you, this war will happen in a year or two. If we can protect you, if you become part of NATO, the aggression will stop. Europe will be free. 

And I remember that someone once told me in Washington that Kyiv will be the capital of Europe, the capital of the European Union. And I believe in this, because you, in fact, personify this European network. I represent the Catholic part of the European Union. You have both Catholics and Orthodox, but all this, in fact, is building such a common Europe, and you are the incarnation of such a European Union. Because Russia does not represent, does not reflect the European Union. Russia is trying to destroy Europe, the European Union, and that is why we must create such a peace. And our future is your future. The future of Ukraine is the future of Europe," he stressed.

Žygimantas Pavilionis spoke about how Lithuania is preparing for a possible Russian invasion. In particular, he noted the significant financing of defense spending.

"First of all, we are such champions in defense financing, this year we will reach 5% of defense spending, and we are rising, we are increasing this amount. We are preparing for everyone to join the army, for everyone to undergo training, education. We are rebuilding our defense sector together with Ukrainians, with Germans, with Americans. We have built, are building military factories in Lithuania. We also have a German brigade. And the only country outside of Germany where Germany is building a base is actually the so-called German brigade, where they have kindergartens there, etc., and this is actually Lithuania.

We are also learning from the experience of Israel, our historical brothers and sisters, that everything we produce should be aimed at training, we should be as strong as Ukraine. And, in fact, at the moment, only Ukraine and Lithuania are the only two countries that have such strong resistance. And I am speaking to you now as a representative of a country in which, in fact, after "during the Soviet occupation, such a large population, thousands of Lithuanians were ready to fight for their country. And, in fact, together with you, we defeated the Russians in the Middle Ages. And, in fact, here this entire zone from south to north was so strong that Russia could not conquer it. And now we must liberate Crimea. We must build this wall so that Russia could never break it," the Lithuanian diplomat added.

• On July 10, an unknown drone from Belarus violated Lithuanian airspace. As a result, the country's leadership was taken into shelter on alert.
• On July 28, an unidentified drone again flew into Lithuanian airspace, probably from the territory of Belarus.