Armed Conflict Foreign Relations & International Law

Lawfare Daily: NATO’s Eastern Flank: The View from Lithuania

Katsiaryna Shmatsina, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Vytis Jurkonis, Jen Patja
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 7:00 AM
How has Lithuania responding to the Russia-Ukraine War?
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Katsiaryna Shmatsina, Eurasia Fellow at Lawfare, sits down with Gabrielius Landsbergis, former Lithuanian Foreign Minister (2020–2024), now a visiting fellow at Stanford University, and Vytis Jurkonis, Associate Professor at Vilnius University and Director of Freedom House’s Lithuania office.

They discuss Lithuania’s response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including shifts in security policy, public sentiment, and military readiness. The conversation covers regional defense, U.S.–Lithuania relations, NATO’s role, and growing concerns about possible escalation into the Baltic region. They also reflect on Lithuania’s path from Soviet occupation to independence and its integration into NATO and the EU.

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Katsiaryna Shmatsina

Katsiaryna Shmatsina

@katiebelarus.bsky.social
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Katsiaryna Shmatsina is a Eurasia fellow at Lawfare, specializing in Belarus, Russia, and international security. She is a Belarusian-trained lawyer turned political analyst with over a decade of experience in Belarusian and European think tanks, serving as a researcher and political consultant. Among other roles, she was a Rethink.CEE Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. and worked with the International Republican Institute and the American Bar Association. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at Virginia Tech in Washington, D.C. Shmatsina is among 20 Belarusian scholars prosecuted in absentia by the Lukashenka regime in a politically motivated trial recognized by human rights groups, the Council of Europe, and the U.S. State Department. She is also listed on Russia’s federal wanted list.
Gabrielius Landsbergis

Gabrielius Landsbergis

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Gabrielius Landsbergis served as Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 2020 until November 2024.
Vytis Jurkonis

Vytis Jurkonis

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Vytis Jurkonis is an associate professor at Vilnius University and Director of Freedom House’s Lithuania office.
Jen Patja

Jen Patja

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Jen Patja is the editor of the Lawfare Podcast and Rational Security, and serves as Lawfare’s Director of Audience Engagement. Previously, she was Co-Executive Director of Virginia Civics and Deputy Director of the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier, where she worked to deepen public understanding of constitutional democracy and inspire meaningful civic participation.
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