Lithuania warns Russian economy is ‘built on war’ and Baltic states are likely next target

Published May 31, 2026 5:00am ET



The Lithuanian government fears the Baltic states will be Russia’s logical next target because the Kremlin has gone over a cliff in transforming the country’s economy into a war machine.

Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaunas told reporters during a press conference at his ministry’s headquarters in Vilnius that the “Russian economy is now built on war,” and he worries his own country is next on the chopping block after the conflict in Ukraine is normalized.

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