Arvydas Anušauskas

Putin’s plan for the international order sounds disturbingly familiar: separate treaties, no common response to Russian aggression and no support for Ukraine. His vision for the 21st century is to set Europe back a century – or perhaps even further.

As Zelensky speaks of abducted Ukrainian children being recruited into the Russian army, Putin’s envoy speaks at the White House about humanitarian efforts. Russia must first answer for the children it took.

22 US lawmakers from both parties are urging Trump to fully enforce Russia sanctions by targeting energy revenues and sanctions evasion. The question is whether congressional pressure can change his approach-or whether any shift will depend on the midterm election results.

President Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine received no intelligence from its partners about Russia’s missile strike. Has the US stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, preventing timely air raid alerts and hindering efforts to prevent civilian deaths?

A possible plague outbreak in Russia is another reason to tighten transit rules for Russian citizens in Europe. We cannot know who has travelled through affected areas or whom they have contacted. And Russia is hardly a reliable source of information about the outbreak.

Russia has expanded its authorised military strength four times this year. Mounting losses make it harder to build reserves. With its main forces tied down in Ukraine, it can threaten and use hybrid warfare—but lacks the resources for another large conventional war.

Russia's elections are not democratic—they are a political ritual for the Kremlin. Once the vote is over, a new mobilisation may follow. When will the Russian opposition realise that dictatorships cannot be replaced ‘democratically’?

While Latvia plans to halt bus connections with Russia and Belarus from 2027, Lithuania remains one of the main passenger routes to both countries. I have urged the Lithuanian government to join Latvia and seek a common Baltic solution.

Russia got a seat at the G20 table, but not a place in the family photo. Yet it can still use the room to its advantage. History shows that “taming” dictators through engagement rarely changes their goals—it gives them another platform to pursue them.

Нехай ворог знає — ми за Україну! Разом — до перемоги! З Днем Незалежності України! 🇺🇦

On 23 August 1989, nearly two million Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians joined hands. Living under occupation, we showed the world how deeply we longed to return—to freedom, to a world that values the independence of nations. To a world that had been closed to us. #BalticWay

Russia’s transit through Lithuania should be transit — not an opportunity to stay in the country. I propose a 6-hour control standard for Russian land transit between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad. Longer travel would be allowed only in objectively justified cases.

Ukraine is increasingly reshaping Russia's external relations. Kazakhstan's proposal to freeze the war, following billions in losses linked to Russian oil export routes, shows the costs are increasingly falling on its partners as well.

Ukraine is increasingly targeting the infrastructure that enables Russia to wage war. Wildberries is the latest example. As logistics become part of the battlefield, sustaining the war becomes increasingly costly.

After disrupting logistics by land, Ukraine has now targeted Russia's supply routes in the Sea of Azov. Equipment, fuel and ships are far harder to replace than troops, making logistics an increasingly decisive part of the war.

Belarus has become the Kremlin’s emergency fuel supplier. Yet even redirecting all of its gasoline exports to Russia would replace only a fraction of the refining capacity lost after Ukrainian strikes. The losses now far exceed what Belarus can replace.

Vilnius. 04 07 2026.

Russia has cut rail freight to Estonia, Latvia and Finland, but not via Lithuania and Belarus. Closing this route would isolate Kaliningrad, which still depends on about 3 million tonnes of non-sanctioned goods via Lithuania. The Kremlin won't shoot itself in the foot.

Putin again speaks of peace talks without abandoning any of Russia’s objectives. The Kremlin appears more concerned with protecting Moscow than with the fuel, electricity and daily lives of civilians in occupied Crimea. #SlavaUkraine

Even when only a fraction of Ukrainian drones reach their targets, Russia is forced to spend billions on air defenses. The winner is not always the one launching more missiles, but the one creating threats at lower cost and forcing the enemy to defend more expensively.