President Gitanas Nausėda met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to discuss the increasingly complicated security situation in the region and the challenges of the illegal migration posed by the Belarusian regime at the external border of the EU and NATO. The meeting was also attended by the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Šimonytė.

The President thanked the EU and NATO for their solidarity and support to Lithuania in the face of an outrageous hybrid attack and noted that today, as we looked for solutions to counter such attacks, close and constructive cooperation between the EU and NATO was more important than ever.

According to Gitanas Nausėda, the security situation in the Baltic region and the security situation around Ukraine, which is of great concern, were also addressed at the meeting.

“We are concerned about the Russian military build-up near Ukraine and the military integration of Belarus into Russia’s military structures and doctrines. This poses new challenges to NATO's collective security. NATO should adjust its plans, strategy and tactics accordingly and be fully prepared to respond. In addition, the migration situation on the Belarusian border has not yet been resolved,” the President said.

Gitanas Nausėda emphasized that should the security situation become even more complicated, it could not be ruled out that consultations under NATO’s Article 4 could be requested. The President pointed out that such action would be coordinated with allies.

The leaders also discussed issues related to the illegal migration crisis: the need to ensure real protection of the EU’s external border, legislative changes to the EU's policy on migration and asylum as well as funding for building a physical barrier and developing critical infrastructure on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border.