Anušauskas reacted to Bauer’s statements: all other threats are important, but NATO’s eastern flank must be stronger

The admiral also told Lithuanian journalists on Thursday that by focusing all their attention on NATO’s eastern flank, the allies will not be able to respond to other threats to the Alliance.

Commenting on these provisions, the Minister of National Defense notes that he agrees with the position that threats exist both in the eastern, southern and northern wings of the Alliance. However, he emphasizes, it is necessary to realize that it is the eastern wing of the Alliance that has a direct border with the aggressor Russia.

“We see that Russia is destabilizing the situation in various regions. Let’s be fair though. The direct land borders with Russia are precisely on the eastern flank, starting from Poland and Lithuania and ending with Finland. So all other threats are important, but NATO’s eastern flank must be much stronger and the attention must be as great as it is now,” A. Anušauskas told LRT radio.

“NATO is an alliance of countries. Undoubtedly, the positions of the states are the most important. Every country, even the smallest NATO member, formulates its own positions. They are taken into account first. The Chairman of the Military Committee and other officials certainly reflect certain positions. And, I think, in this case, apparently what was meant was that the focus should be on the southern flank as well, not just the eastern flank. In my opinion, where we have land borders with Russia, that attention must be greater in the current situation,” said the minister.

As ELTA wrote earlier, during an interview with Lithuanian journalists, R. Bauer noted that the Russian threat exists not only in the Baltic region. According to him, the Kremlin’s role is global and manifests itself in various areas of security. Therefore, he continued, when discussing new regional defense plans, it is important for member states not only to look at the broader context, but also to remain flexible. Otherwise, emphasizes R. Bauer, it can be extremely difficult to react to different kinds of dangers.

“Threats are not only on the eastern flank. There are also threats to the north, west and south. At the moment, due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, our main focus is on the eastern flank. But Russia is essentially everywhere – in space, in cyberspace, in the Arctic, in the Atlantic, in the Mediterranean, in Africa. Russia is not only on the eastern flank,” R. Bauer told Lithuanian journalists at the NATO headquarters.

“If we simplify everything and focus on the eastern flank, then we will be unable to respond to what is happening in the south or north, in the west. We have to be flexible,” he noted.

According to the admiral, the flexibility of NATO forces is an important factor in terms of the countries’ ability to counter different types of threats. R. Bauer emphasized that it is the Alliance’s reaction to Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine – decisions to strengthen the presence of allies in the Baltic region and other states of the eastern wing – that is proof of NATO’s flexible attitude.