The House on Friday passed a $1.2 trillion defense spending bill for 2024 that included some desperately needed aid to Ukraine, though the severely reduced price tag and the lengthy wait times have allies like Lithuania increasingly “concerned” about whether the U.S. can still be counted on as a reliable partner.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has dragged on in the former Soviet nation for more than two years, and while the American appetite to continue supporting Kyiv has somewhat diminished, European allies, particularly nations that share complex histories with Moscow, remain as determined as ever.
“We’re definitely concerned because Ukraine’s ability to hold the front very much depends on how much ammunition and equipment they’re getting,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told Fox News Digital. “It’s not just about now. It’s not just about the current situation on the front. It’s also about the future.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a concert marking his victory in a presidential election and the 10-year anniversary of Crimea’s annexation by Russia on Red Square in Moscow March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
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“If [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is allowed to go forward, where does he stop?” he continued. “We see a huge, aggressive, bloodthirsty empire that now feels emboldened and, in turn, emboldens other dictators across the globe.
“They see that this is their opportunity, this is their time, this is their chance. This is a really scary time to be witnessing.”
Gabrielius Landsbergis, minister for foreign affairs of Lithuania, attends a meeting on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York Feb. 23, 2024. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The issue of continued defensive aid for Ukraine has begun to reveal definite fissures in the Republican Party, where there is both heavy support for Ukraine and ardent opposition to Washington’s continued support for Kyiv.
The opposing positions within the party has stalled a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine that passed in the Senate in February by a 70-29 vote but has yet to be brought to the House floor by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson.
House Speaker Mike Johnson Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Supporters of the aid package, including Republicans and Democrats, argue it is in the best interest of the U.S. to stop Putin in Ukraine, and many remain concerned his ambitions stretch to other former Soviet nations.
“We need to be serious about this,” Landsbergis said, pointing out that Putin has criticized the collapse of the Soviet Union as Russia’s greatest failure. “You know when he’s saying things, he’s thinking things and when he’s thinking he’s probably planning.
“I don’t see him stopping unless he’s stopped in Ukraine.”
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
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Putin has repeatedly threatened nations that were formerly in the Soviet Union. When asked if Lithuania, which was the first to declare independence from the USSR in 1990 and shares a border with the Kaliningrad Oblast, was concerned given its complex history with Russia, the foreign minister pointed to the oppression it endured.
“We usually call ourselves never Soviets, rather than former Soviets. Because, you know, we were subjugated and forced,” Landsbergis said. “I think in his mind he is recreating an empire. The only question is, which empire? Some would say the Soviet Union, but I would even say that he’s recreating the 19th century Russian Empire.”
Despite his concern, the Lithuanian foreign minister said “there’s still time to turn this around.”
Ukrainian soldiers pose during the Russia-Ukraine war on the front line of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine March 29, 2023. (Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Several NATO nations, including France, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, in recent weeks have begun looking at sending their own troops into Ukraine in advisory and training roles, not as combat troops.
The push has not gained broad NATO support from nations like the U.S. or Germany, and therefore would be done on an independent basis rather than through the alliance.
“We have to be creative. We have to think out of the box, because the goals have not changed,” the foreign minister said, noting that severe sanctions have not stopped Russia, and Putin has not been deterred by Western aid.
“We need to start thinking about things out of the box and not exclude options, which we’ve been doing. In the past, we would usually exclude [options]. You know, we cannot do this, we cannot do that, this is not an option, and so on, so forth,” he explained. “This is a huge change.
A Ukrainian flag waves in a residential area heavily damaged in the village of Dolyna in Donetsk, Ukraine, after the withdrawal of Russian troops September 24. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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“The situation is difficult. I think that we are at a crossroads, and this year could be pivotal. We will be remembered whether we managed to push back or we fail,” the foreign minister said.
Landsbergis said that being hopeful is no longer enough.
“We need to do more. We need to push.”
The Lithuanian foreign minister will meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday to discuss continued support for Ukraine and how the U.S. intends to keep working with its Baltic partners in the face of Russian aggression.
