[ad_1]
The United States said Tuesday it stands firm by Lithuania and NATO’s commitments to protect the Baltic state after Russia warned its neighbor about blocking rail transit.
“We stand by our NATO allies and we stand by Lithuania,” Ned Price, a spokeswoman for the US State Department, told reporters.
“More specifically to our commitment under NATO Article 5 – the premise that an attack on one member state would be an attack on all – this commitment by the United States is ironic,” he said.
Lithuania, a former Soviet republic that is a member of both NATO and the European Union, has been among the most vocal in opposing Russian occupation of Ukraine.
Lithuania said it would restrict rail transit of goods belonging to the EU sanctions list to Kaliningrad, an isolated Russian enclave in the Baltic Sea located between Lithuania and Poland.
Russia has warned that it will “certainly respond” to “hostile actions”.
Price said the United States welcomed the “unprecedented economic measures” taken by Lithuania and other countries against Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Asked about Russia’s statements, Price said: “We will not speculate on Russian attacks or Russian threats, nor do we want to give time to discuss this topic.”
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
