How did Biden hit Putin in a very sensitive place: can Lithuania feel the consequences of the conflict?

“That word shows that the current president of the United States does not intend to cover up words or terms and reflects his general approach towards Putin, without avoiding the most critical words,” Janeliūnas said on Delfi Day.

According to him, the reaction of Russia shows that the speech was received in an extremely painful way.

“Basically, it can be said that he has hit a very sensitive place, perhaps even one of the most sensitive for Putin, and I don’t think Biden will be very dissatisfied with his statement when he sees such a reaction,” the politician said. said the scientist.

Linas Kojala, director of the Center for Eastern European Studies (RESC), believes that Biden’s speech was unplanned.

“If we look at what that interview was like, it’s obvious that a fairly straightforward question from the reporter might have taken Biden a bit off guard and off guard, but he probably said what he would say in another context,” Kojala said.

“He never spared criticism of Putin, but as vice president, he said that Russia must be held accountable for its actions, that Russia’s aggression is intolerable and that the US position must be very principled.” In this case, I think this is a broader statement of Biden’s broader vision of what relations with Russia are and what can be expected from them in the near future, “he said.

Speaking about Russia’s withdrawal of his ambassador in Washington on Wednesday, Kojala noted that such a diplomatic move is not so common.

“There were cases of this type, but not too many. Probably Russia also understands that relations are very limited.” The current Russian ambassador to Washington, whoever he may be, will not be a very popular person in Washington and there will certainly not be many people who want to meet him, “said the director of RESC.

However, according to T. Janeliūnas, the expected very drastic changes in relations between Russia and the US should not be made either.

“A diplomatic break is not worth waiting for, but in the same interview, Biden mentioned that he knew that Russia was interfering in the last US presidential election, acting against it, and that Putin should pay for it.” The United States is considering various sanctions not only against specific individuals, but perhaps even cyber measures, “said the political scientist.

According to L. Kojala, the consequences of such conflicts between the United States and Russia can also be felt in a certain sense in Lithuania.

“The aggressive behavior of Russia is becoming a great incentive for our Western partners to make decisions that Lithuania and the other Baltic countries are looking forward to. Let us remember that the very annexation and aggression of Crimea in Donbass became a very serious impetus for the emergence of NATO forces in our countries.

For the first time in history, a rotating force was deployed here as a NATO front battalion. Americans are increasingly debating that their participation here, too, should be almost permanent. They don’t say that word yet, but the rotary forces that are more common in Lithuania are basically part of a long-term project, “said L. Kojala on the” Delfi diena “program.