The President of Lithuania called for inflicting even greater pain on Russia

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called on European leaders to intensify economic pressure on Russia by imposing increasingly stringent restrictive measures. He made this statement to reporters in Brussels ahead of the European Council meeting. 

The Lithuanian leader emphasized that Europe currently has two key instruments of influence at its disposal: comprehensive support for Ukraine and new sanctions packages.

The Lithuanian president advocated that the upcoming 21st package of international sanctions must include the Russian energy sector, specifically the state-owned corporation Rosatom and the oil industry. In his view, it is crucial for the European community to target not only the banking sector or the activities of the so-called “shadow fleet,” but also to take action against Russia’s key energy giants, regarding which a common compromise had previously not been reached.

Gitanas Nausėda concluded that the European Union must work much more effectively to inflict significant economic losses on the aggressor country. He called on his colleagues and the leaders of European nations to do much more to inflict greater pain on the Russian political regime and undermine its financial capacity to wage war.