The US will defend Lithuania if it is attacked by Russia/Shutterstock
Russia is threatening Lithuania because of the so-called “Kaliningrad blockade”. The United States said that they would stand up in its defense, because an attack on one NATO member means an attack on the entire Alliance.
Lithuania has stopped transit trains with goods subject to EU sanctions. However, in Russia it is called “an openly hostile provocation”.
The United States will defend Lithuania in the event of a Russian attack
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said, that he doesn't even want to “give airtime to Russian saber-rattling and a farce.” He added that the US was very clear during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, in particular, long before this unprovoked invasion.
According to him, the commitment of the United States to Article 5 of NATO, which refers to the common response of the members of the Alliance in the event of an attack on one of them, is a prerequisite that these obligations on the part of the United States are ironclad.
“We strengthened NATO's eastern flank, especially countries that have been at the forefront of Russian threats for years,” Price added.
He noted that the United States appreciates the unprecedented economic measures against Russia, which many countries of the world have joined because of the unprovoked war in Ukraine. Therefore, Lithuania must decide for itself whether to comply with EU sanctions against the aggressor country.
Lithuania is a member of NATO. We stand by our commitments to the Alliance. This, of course, includes commitment to Article 5, which is the foundation of NATO,” Price stressed.
The State Department spokesman added that NATO is a campaign involving dozens of countries around the world, specifically blocs of countries, in this case EU.
“Lithuania has been a faithful partner in this. We support NATO. We support our NATO allies and we support Lithuania,” Price concluded.
About the “Kaliningrad blockade”
- In the fourth package of EU sanctions against Russia, restrictions were imposed on the import and transit of steel and other ferrous metal products from the aggressor country to the European Union. They began to operate on June 17.
- The governor of the Kaliningrad region of Russia, Anton Alikhanov, announced the next day that Lithuania had stopped letting transit trains with goods that fell under EU sanctions.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry called the actions Lithuania in violation of international legal obligations. Therefore, the ministry even defiantly summoned the head of the Lithuanian embassy in Moscow.
- Lithuania responded to Russia's threats because of the “siege of Kaliningrad”. The Foreign Ministry stressed that they only comply with the sanctions imposed by the EU.
- In turn, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry came to the defense of Lithuanian friends. Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Russia itself is to blame for the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine.
