BRISBANE, Australia—Lithuania’s ambassador to Australia, Darius Degutis, has said Western allies should not be concerned if the U.S. presidency were to change in November, noting the United States is the “only state we can trust.”
Speaking at an event organised by the Australian Institute of International Affairs-Queensland in Brisbane on April 16, Ambassador Degutis was making his country’s case for more support to push back Russian forces from Ukraine, and deter President Vladimir Putin from reaching further into the Baltic states.
Lithuania is a country of 2.8 million people and was under Soviet occupation for 50 years prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The country continues a ban on Soviet symbols.
Today, Lithuania sits in an uncomfortable geopolitical situation with staunch Russian ally Belarus to the east, and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad bordering the west.
Kaliningrad is home to a major Russian military base with about 25,000 active soldiers, more than Lithuania’s armed service of 20,000 people.
The base has not been mobilised since the start of the Ukraine War, leading to concerns those forces could later attack the Baltic countries—Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia—if the Ukraine invasion is successful.
Any US President is Good for Lithuania
The ambassador said he was often asked about what a Trump presidency would mean for U.S.-European relations.“Sorry, every United States president is good for Lithuania, because that’s the only state we can trust—because of her military, her economy, and her strategic capacity,” he told the Institute.
“I should quote, the [potential] new NATO secretary general, the present Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. He mentioned two months ago, ‘Stop whining, and stop moaning about Trump,’” the ambassador said.
“I know Trump will be dealing with the United States policy 90 percent of the time—migration, crime, and all this—10 percent will be on international politics. The administration people will deal with international politics.”
He also added that when Mr. Trump was elected in 2016, his first international visit was to Warsaw, Poland.
“I was there. He made a very good speech on NATO and defence. He increased United States military support in Europe, he moved United States troops to Poland, he also signed a letter sending Javelins and other missiles to Ukraine,” he said.
“Because of Trump’s order, we have United States soldiers in Lithuania.”
‘We Live in the Real World’
The ambassador also painted a picture of the realities of Eastern European politics, acknowledging that it was difficult for those in far-off countries to understand.“We live in the real world. I know that some people in Australia—you’re too far away. No other state has occupied you, no other state of a different calibre, of a different language, of a different religion, of a different anything,” the ambassador said.
“What would be your reaction if another state were to occupy you for 50 years? They would force you to learn a totally different language, they would force you to be part of a totally different religion—[it was really] communist propaganda because they didn’t have any religious freedom,” Mr. Degutis added. The ambassador himself was recruited as a soldier under the communist regime.
Under Soviet Lithuania, about 10 percent of the country’s population—300,000 people—were forcibly deported or sent to gulags. Many did not return.
This legacy is what drives Lithuanians to remain fiercely independent.
Fraught Situation
Ambassador Degutis outlined his government’s concerns regarding Russia’s ambitions towards the Baltic region, saying if there were an invasion, Lithuania was told it needed to hold the line for “two weeks” before help could arrive.“We have 250 kilometres [to defend]. Are we able to defend two weeks when we have such monstrous Russian military bases to the west and the east? It will take a couple of days for [NATO to make a] political decision,” he said.
“The point is, we need to protect our state, and protect our security,” he added. “We need to have every shooter behind every tree, whatever will come to Lithuania we will need to defend.
“If we are not able to defend, NATO will not be able to come to us.”
