Russia will challenge democratic world sooner or later - Lithuanian president

VILNIUS - As US and Russian officials began talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that neither a ceasefire nor a peace deal will fundamentally change Russia and that it will challenge the entire democratic world sooner or later.

"The essence of Russia will not change with either a ceasefire or a peace agreement. These are deeper, fundamental issues that have affected Russia, not just over the past year or even the last 15 to 20 years," Nausėda told the public broadcaster LRT on Monday.

"Russia won't calm down, and sooner or later, it will challenge the whole democratic world," he added.

According to Nauseda, the United States views talks with Russia strategically, with Washington looking to open up "new spaces and opportunities" for itself.

"I think Europe's position will be somewhat different here, and Europe, I can say with full responsibility, is ready to continue applying sanctions and isolating Russia as much as it can, because we believe that all the reasons for doing so in the past are still there; they haven't disappeared," the president said.

"Changing the rhetoric, policy, or entire strategy would be simply capitulating and raising a white flag, encouraging similar regimes in the future by saying, 'Look, do whatever you want, in the end, everything will be forgiven and written off as peace and friendship,'" he added.

Nausėda also emphasized that Lithuania will never recognize the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

"Lithuania hasn't recognized, and will never recognize, the occupation of these territories, because we believe it violates international law and the United Nations Charter," the president said.

"I believe that even if the territory is fixed roughly along the front line, the status of these territories would remain such that they would not be recognized as de jure Russian. Ukraine would retain the possibility to seek the recovery of these territories later, through diplomatic means or with a change in the geopolitical situation or leadership in the Kremlin," he added.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to quickly end Russia's war in Ukraine.

Ukraine and Russia have proposed different plans for temporary ceasefires, while fighting and shelling continue.