Lithuanian defense minister: Only way to negotiate with Russia is with a 'gun on the table'

EXCLUSIVE: Growing up nether Soviet rule, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė was not allowed to observe Christmas. Her parent was calved successful a Siberian situation camp. 

The crime?

Her teenage member was caught handing retired leaflets that said, "Lithuania is free." After 50 years of Soviet concern during the Cold War, galore Lithuanians contiguous are wary of immoderate negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and are watching the Kremlin’s adjacent moves closely.

"In my opinion, the lone businesslike diplomacy with Russia was what Al Capone said, the lone bully dialog is erstwhile you person a weapon connected the table. So that's astir apt the benignant of diplomacy that would enactment with Russia," Šakalienė warned during an interrogation astatine the Lithuanian Embassy successful Washington Friday.

When asked if Putin could beryllium trusted, the 46-year-old defence minister, who erstwhile lived successful Albuquerque, New Mexico, arsenic an speech student, replied, "Are you kidding me? After what was done to my household and by Russia for generations, I don't deliberation you would find immoderate Lithuanian who could spot Vladimir Putin."

Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine is present much than 3 years old. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has engaged successful nonstop talks with Russia to extremity the war.

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Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė sat down for an interrogation with Fox News and discussed Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters Photos | Fox News)

"Historically, Russia has ne'er ever kept an agreement," Šakalienė said." Our lone anticipation is that the pugnacious and harsh attack by President Donald Trump whitethorn beryllium the lone safeguard keeping Putin successful check. So let's anticipation that happens."

Located successful Eastern Europe, Lithuania's colonisation of 2.8 cardinal successful an country astir the size of West Virginia, the tiny state cannot spend to disregard Russia. It shares a 184-mile borderline with Russia (Kaliningrad) arsenic good arsenic a 420-mile borderline with Belarus, which she says is "now conscionable a level for the Russian army."

She said, "They are trying to frighten us. They are trying to marque america consciousness insecure," astir the Russian forces adjacent door.

Lithuania is ramping up defence spending arsenic a effect of Russia launching its full-scale penetration of Ukraine and plans to transcend Trump’s request that NATO allies walk 5% of GDP connected defense. Šakalienė said her state hopes to scope 6% by adjacent year. The U.S. presently spends 3.4%.

Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth besides urged NATO allies to ramp up defence spending. "The United States volition nary longer tolerate an imbalanced narration which encourages dependency," helium warned astatine NATO office successful Brussels connected his archetypal overseas trip.

As a NATO defence minister, Šakalienė was determination successful Brussels. She applauded Hegseth’s remarks, calling them an "ice-cold bucket of water."

Russian President Putin giving a code successful Moscow. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

"I saw the faces of my colleagues. A batch of shock, a batch of stress," she said. "Nobody successful the country mentioned 2% [of GDP] which is truthful redundant, irrelevant, inadequate. It's gone. It's aged news."

When asked wherefore Western Europe has been lagging connected defence spending years aft Russia seized 20% of Ukraine, Šakalienė replied, "I deliberation that a precise ample portion of the antiauthoritarian satellite got caught up successful this illusion of an idealistic world, which has ne'er existed."

She said portion of the illusion was believing wars are over. Russia ne'er thought this way, she explained.

"The non-democratic portion of the satellite has not changed. They are really playing by their rules. So if they are not playing by our rules, our blindness is what enactment america successful this unsafe position."

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shingle hands astatine the BRICS Summit successful Kazan, Tatarstan Republic, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Šakalienė is the lone NATO defence curate sanctioned by China. When asked astir Beijing’s motives successful supporting Russia, her reply mightiness astonishment immoderate people.

"Russia is capable to boost its subject accumulation truthful efficiently due to the fact that China is feeding it," she said.  "It is utile for China to person this warfare of exhaustion, and besides it is utile for China, adjacent though it supplies Russia, to spot Russia besides suffer a batch of its soldiers – a batch of its weapons and instrumentality – due to the fact that a weaker Russia is much convenient to China."

Despite dense battlefield losses successful Ukraine implicit the past 3 years, Russia is gathering an service of 1.5 cardinal soldiers, according to Šakalienė, who warned Putin has "more imperial enlargement plans successful his hand."

When Fox News sat down astatine the Lithuanian Embassy connected Friday, Trump was trying to unafraid a mineral rights statement with Ukraine and yet hopes to question a ceasefire statement with Russia.

"If Russia violates the ceasefire, the effect indispensable beryllium contiguous and violent," Šakalienė urged.

When asked for her absorption to a study that Trump is considering not defending NATO allies who bash not walk capable connected defense, Šakalienė applauded the harsh rhetoric from Trump, calling it "painful" but justified. "Everyone needs to contribute, load sharing is the main regularisation if you truly privation to person a beardown alliance."

She pointed to the Baltic States and Poland arsenic starring NATO members successful defence spending arsenic a percent of GDP.

Last year, the European Union, which Lithuania is simply a member, spent much connected Russian lipid and state than assistance to Ukraine. Šakalienė said her state was "the archetypal 1 to chopped off" Russian lipid and gas. "We were adjacent supporting our neighbors, Latvians and Polish with vigor supplies. So for us, being autarkic of Russian vigor is simply a substance of beingness and death."

Lithuania’s archetypal LNG terminal was aptly named "Independence," according to Frank Fannon, who served successful Trump’s archetypal word arsenic adjunct caput of authorities for vigor resources.

When Fox News sat down astatine the embassy, Lithuania had conscionable announced it would beryllium withdrawing from the normal connected clump munitions, an planetary statement by much than 100 nations prohibiting clump bombs. Šakalienė explained wherefore Lithuania is pulling out.

"We privation to beryllium acceptable to usage thing and everything indispensable to support our borders. We don't privation Russians to travel to our homes again. We privation to nonstop a strategical message, a precise wide message, that we volition bash thing to support ourselves."  

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Minister of Defense of the Republic of Lithuania Dovilė Šakalienė astatine a property conference. (Jörg Carstensen/picture confederation via Getty Images)

Lithuania, on with different European nations, besides wants to retreat from different pact soon known arsenic the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel onshore mines.

"This is simply a unspeakable weapon, conscionable similar clump munitions, but the Russians are utilizing the weapons, including forbidden weapons. So we privation to nonstop the connection back," she said.

In summation to Russia, China and the United States are besides not parties to the agreement. In 2014, the United States announced it would abide by the Ottawa Convention, but for the landmines already deployed connected the Korean Peninsula.

Šakalienė, a profoundly devout Christian, said Russia is not lone attacking Ukraine, but the Christian religion arsenic well.

"It was Soviet Russia that tried to annihilate the religion successful Ukraine, successful Lithuania, successful Poland. They person present benignant of revived their Christianity and are utilizing it for KGB infiltration, for FSB infiltration, she said. "This is simply a betrayal."

She continued, "When we spot however churches successful Ukraine are being bombed, being robbed…the Christian assemblage successful Ukraine is being murdered and their beauteous practice is being destroyed."

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The Lithuanian defence curate ended the interrogation with a last warning.

"We thin to effort to diminish our enemies. This is simply a mistake. You person to spot them for what they are."