Lithuania is ready to allocate €30 million to the PURL initiative for procuring weapons for Ukraine and is waiting for allies to form the next military aid package.
This was stated by Lithuania’s Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė ahead of the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
“Lithuania is ready to provide €30 million for PURL. We can transfer the funds today if needed, and we very much hope that the next package will be assembled as soon as possible,” Šakalienė emphasized.
On the question of potentially supplying American missiles to Ukraine, the Lithuanian official noted that Russia has consistently created “strategic dilemmas” for the allies, using them as a weapon against the West. Now, she said, it is time to create strategic dilemmas for Moscow.
“A strategic dilemma is not about greater or lesser retaliation; a strategic dilemma is about more or less pain. And until Russia feels it, until it experiences the consequences of its aggressive war, it will try to expand its military power,” Šakalienė stated.
She added that the Russian economy faces many challenges. The share of the federal budget devoted to military needs would be unacceptable for any normal democratic country, yet Russia still has cash inflows from other countries, which fuels its war efforts.
“Therefore, secondary sanctions really need to be comprehensive,” the Lithuanian defense minister stressed.
