Luthuania: Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Linas Linkevicius, who currently serves as the country’s ambassador to Sweden, has issued a stark warning concerning Kaliningrad in response to Sweden’s recent entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Linkevicius took to his social media page on X to express his concerns, asserting that in the face of any threat from Russia to NATO countries, Kaliningrad would be “neutralized.”
Linkevicius emphasized the strategic shift in the Baltic Sea dynamics following Sweden’s accession to the alliance. “After Sweden joined the alliance, the Baltic Sea became internal to NATO. If Russia dares to challenge the North Atlantic Alliance, Kaliningrad will be ‘neutralized’ first,” he stated.
The former foreign minister highlighted what he perceived as the transformation of previously dismissed allegations into a tangible reality. “False accusations against Russia that it is surrounded by NATO have now become a reality,” Linkevicius added.
Prior to this development, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson anticipated Russia’s displeasure with Sweden’s NATO membership. Kristersson acknowledged that Russia’s historic opposition to NATO expansion remains unchanged, saying, “As far as Russia is concerned, the only thing we can confidently expect is that they will not like Sweden becoming a NATO member. They also didn’t like Finland becoming a NATO member.”
Kristersson also suggested that Russia’s efforts to curb NATO expansion have, in fact, resulted in the opposite effect, stating, “Russia’s ambitions to limit NATO expansion have backfired.”
In response to Sweden’s NATO integration, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his approval of the Hungarian Parliament’s ratification of the protocol outlining Sweden’s admission to the alliance.
As tensions continue to rise in the region, the statement from Linas Linkevicius adds another layer to the geopolitical landscape surrounding Kaliningrad. The implications of such a warning carry significant weight, and the international community is likely to closely monitor developments in the Baltic Sea in the coming weeks.
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