Kaunas backs Germany for naming Russia: At last, it did not shy away from saying it clearly

Robert Kaunas says Germany has finally done what governments have often avoided: publicly naming Russia over an incident involving a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig airport.

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It's very good that, at last, someone was not afraid to name it very clearly and loudly.

“It's very good that, at last, someone was not afraid to name it very clearly and loudly,” Kaunas told journalists at the government. He said officials had long discussed who stood behind such incidents, but mostly in private corridors rather than officially. Naming Russia, he argued, was the first step toward a tougher response.

Kaunas described the current measures as partial and preliminary. He said he had already expressed his support to German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and noted that other NATO countries were doing the same. “NATO, as a defensive organization, should clearly be able to fight in that gray zone,” he said.

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Naming a specific state, Russia, which essentially tried to carry out a terrorist act, is the first step toward a tougher response, something we really lack.

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius also expressed support for Germany, writing on Facebook that Lithuania would establish an air-defense regiment in its armed forces. Kaunas said technical details were still under discussion, including whether the formation would be a regiment or a battalion. Lithuania is also pursuing a clear project to defend against drones and is considering broader air-defense capabilities.

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NATO, as a defensive organization, should clearly be able to fight in that gray zone.

The Defence Resources Agency is in talks with South Korea about a possible weapons purchase. Kaunas said Lithuania did not want to limit itself to European suppliers because production in Europe was slowing, so it was expanding its search for additional air-defense equipment. Germany has said its intelligence links the Leipzig incident to Russia and announced measures including the closure of Russian diplomatic and cultural facilities in Germany and increased pressure on Russia's shadow fleet. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders have backed Berlin.

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We do not want to limit ourselves to purchases in Europe, because Europe is stuck in its production processes.