A Trump-Putin deal on Ukraine would be 'a deadly trap' - Lithuanian defense minister

VILNIUS - Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene says it is up to Europe whether it will take part in peace talks over Ukraine.

"It's entirely up to us whether we stay on the sidelines or live up to expectations and achieve our real capability to fight for Ukraine and for our own freedom," Sakaliene told reporters in Brussels on Thursday.

"There are two very clear options: either we choose to believe the illusion that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin will come up with a solution for all of us - which would be a deadly trap - or we, as Europe, will use our economic, financial, and military capabilities and be the ones to decide, together with the US, what happens in Europe and Ukraine," she said.

Sakaliene made the remarks after US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in his current term on Wednesday and agreed to meet to discuss possible peace in Ukraine.

The US and Europe must continue to foster cooperation as this is the only chance to withstand joint Russian-Chinese actions.

"The United States and Europe are and will be and must be allies. This world has become as small as never before and the Indo-Pacific region and Europe are connected very directly," the minister said. "China and Russia are going to coordinate their actions and, if we are not able to work together as a team, for the democratic world it's going to be the darkest time since the Second World War."

The US president said he had a "long and very productive" conversation with Putin, during which they agreed to immediately start negotiations to end Russia's almost three-year-long large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Trump also said his meeting with the Russian president on ending the war in Ukraine may take place in Saudi Arabia.

The two president's conversation has also sparked concerns abroad that Ukraine might not be included in negotiations over its fate, with Trump stating that Kyiv's desire to join NATO is "impractical".

According to Sakaliene, the defense industry, armed forces and other capabilities in Europe need to be developed rapidly and significantly.

"In a few years, we will be in a situation where Russia, at the speed it is developing its defense industry and its army, is going to move forward. We all understand that Ukraine is just the first stage currently of imperial expansion of Russia," the Lithuanian defense minister pointed out, adding that the US is not only the most significant contributor to NATO, but also "the one that has been, I want to reiterate, paying for our security and that needs to be corrected".

During his visit to Brussels on Wednesday, Hegseth outlined President Donald Trump's red lines and demands and told Europe to increase both support for Ukraine and spending on its own defense. He said the US would not send troops to Ukraine under any peace agreement.

The new US defense chief said any peace process "must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective", although he assured allies that Washington, like Europe, wants "a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine".

He also warned that "the United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement".