Lithuania urges the disconnection of all Russian banks from the SWIFT network and the imposition of sanctions on the entire fleet of over 1,100 Russian shadow vessels.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda emphasized that any Russian banks not currently under sanctions must be removed from the SWIFT international payment system. Additionally, he called for broader restrictions against energy companies that feed the Russian budget, including Nord Stream, Rosatom, Gazprom, and Lukoil.

He advocates for the upcoming 18th sanctions package to be as comprehensive as possible. “Otherwise, they will consider us weak and believe that Europe is not ready to make bold decisions,” Nauseda warned.

He also insisted that all of Russia’s shadow fleet vessels should be included in this package, noting that sanctions have only been placed on 350 of these ships so far. Nauseda criticized existing Russian sanctions as “not decisive enough,” as they allow the Kremlin to bypass them, which enables the Russian economy to function relatively well.

He believes that the Kremlin represents a global threat and stressed the importance of reinforcing Europe’s collective solidarity.