Putin envoy praises Lithuanian PM for toning down ‘Russian attack’ warnings

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Thursday praised Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius’ comments that there is no evidence Russia is preparing an attack on NATO, calling the remarks “unusually wise”.

“The unusually wise words from a Lithuanian PM who openly says that the ‘scare with Russia’ EU hysteria is not based on ANY facts,” Dmitriev wrote on X. He said EU officials were using Russia as a “bogeyman” to divert attention from what he described as failures over migration, the economy, “woke” policies and what he called warmongering.

The unusually wise words from a Lithuanian PM who openly says that the “scare with Russia” EU hysteria is not based on ANY facts. The EU BU bureaucrats need Russia as a bogeyman to distract from their terrible failures on migration, the economy, woke policies and warmongering. https://t.co/MyYgRgY88Q

Dmitriev was responding to comments Sinkevičius made Tuesday at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The Lithuanian prime minister said there was no intelligence indicating that Russia was preparing an attack against NATO.

“I think it is necessary to tell the public if there is a threat, but we cannot exaggerate it and say that something will happen in the coming months or weeks,” Sinkevičius said.

He said he had asked Rutte whether there was evidence or intelligence showing that Russia was preparing for such an action.

“In fact, there is no such data,” Sinkevičius said. “The risk remains, but it is not changing, neither increasing nor decreasing. Therefore, I think we need to calmly do our work, and that is what we are doing.”

The comments came amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO. NATO has said there is no immediate threat to alliance territory from Russia, while warning that Moscow continues to pose a long-term security challenge.

Dmitriev is Putin’s special presidential envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries and heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund. He has emerged as one of Moscow’s key interlocutors with the United States over efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He has also advocated easing US sanctions and expanding business ties between Washington and Moscow.