Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has called for increased sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation. He believes that all Russian banks that are not yet under sanctions should be immediately disconnected from the international payment system SWIFT. In addition, he considers it necessary to expand restrictions on companies in the energy sector that finance the Russian budget, including those such as Nord Stream, Rosatom, Gazprom, and Lukoil.
This is reported by Finway
Call for Extensive Sanctions and Restrictions on Russia’s Shadow Fleet
Gitanas Nausėda emphasized the importance of forming the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, which, in his opinion, should be as extensive as possible. He warned that otherwise, the Russian authorities might perceive this as a sign of weakness from Europe and conclude that it is unprepared for decisive action.
“Otherwise, they will consider us weak and believe that Europe is not ready to make bold decisions,” Nausėda stressed.
The head of Lithuania also called for the inclusion of all vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet in the sanctions list, the total number of which exceeds 1,100. Currently, restrictions apply only to 350 such vessels. According to Nausėda, the existing restrictions are “insufficiently decisive”, allowing the Kremlin to find ways to circumvent them and maintain relatively stable functioning of the Russian economy.
Support for Collective Security and Call to NATO
The President of Lithuania highlighted that the Kremlin poses a threat to all European countries. Therefore, in his opinion, it is necessary to strengthen collective solidarity in Europe. He also urged NATO partners to actively participate in enhancing the “unified strength” of the Alliance, which, according to Nausėda, is an indispensable component of security on the continent.