Lithuanian president warns peace can't be forced

VILNIUS - As US President Donald Trump begins talks to end the war in Ukraine, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda warned on Thursday that peace cannot be imposed by force.

According to Nausėda, any deal must establish a stable and lasting peace, ensuring that the aggressor is not tempted to attack another country or Ukraine again.

"Peace can't be brought by force," he told reporters.

The president said that until the right conditions for such an agreement are in place, it is better to keep negotiating rather than force an agreement.

"The most important thing is to avoid the impression that talks are taking place behind the backs of both Europe and Ukraine," Nauseda said.

"The negotiating positions of the United States and the entire democratic world must be strong and must not start with concessions, because nothing has changed in the world - the aggressor is still the aggressor, and the attacked country is still the attacked country. That can't be ignored or swept off the table," he said.

Nauseda underlined that both Lithuania and Europe stand with Ukraine.

The president also stressed the need for European countries to show greater political will to bolster defense by allocating at least 3 percent of their GDP to military funding, modernizing their armed forces, and implementing military mobility projects.

He 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.

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

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

Nauseda said he plans to discuss the situation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky soon.