Lithuanian FM: NATO's response to Russian missile in Polish airspace could have been stronger

Lithuania's top diplomat believes NATO's political reaction to a Russian missile straying into Polish airspace last week was insufficient. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told LRT television that while the alliance has maintained composure, a stronger response is warranted. He stressed the importance of a thorough investigation into what went wrong, including whether radar systems detected the missile and if fighter jets were scrambled quickly enough. "We need to assess what worked, what didn't work, whether our radars and other systems saw the missile, and whether the scrambling of fighter jets was activated quickly enough and what procedures were followed," Landsbergis said. He added that if the incident reveals capacity shortfalls, NATO must address them. "If we lack capacity, we must increase it, because we cannot normalize such situations where missiles fly into our airspace," he stated. The minister also suggested that a more forceful response, particularly in terms of military readiness, could deter Russia. He pointed to previous operations like "Eastern Shield" and "Baltic Guardian," where an increased military presence in the region led to a reduction in incidents and infrastructure damage. "There is a desire to maintain composure, but to respond firmly. We see that composure has been maintained. That firm response should still follow this incident, primarily through capabilities," Landsbergis explained. He believes that while the immediate response was measured, future actions should demonstrate resolve, possibly through less public communication with Russia but a clear increase in regional military strength.

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We need to assess what worked, what didn't work, whether our radars and other systems saw the missile, and whether the scrambling of fighter jets was activated quickly enough and what procedures were followed.