Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis issued a stark call for Europe to develop true strategic autonomy, declaring that genuine transatlantic partnership can only exist between equals rather than dependent allies.
"True partnership is only possible between equals," Landsbergis stated in remarks widely circulated across European capitals. "It's time for Europe to wake up. It's time for Europe to grow up."
The Foreign Minister's pointed comments reflect Lithuania's front-line perspective on European security, where geographic proximity to Russia creates an acute awareness of strategic realities that other European allies may not feel as immediately.
Lithuania has long exceeded NATO's 2% defense spending target, investing heavily in its own security infrastructure even as larger European nations debated burden-sharing arrangements. Now Baltic leaders are pushing the entire continent to adopt their level of strategic seriousness.
"Lithuania understood this long ago and invests in its own security," Landsbergis said. "Now we are trying to wake up the rest of the continent so that together we will be invincible."
The timing of his remarks coincides with growing European anxiety about American reliability following the Trump administration's Greenland threats and inconsistent NATO commitments. Baltic officials argue that Europe's dependence on Washington creates strategic vulnerability every four years when US elections could fundamentally alter transatlantic arrangements.
"When Europe has its own hard power, we won't need to fear who wins American elections," Landsbergis argued. "We'll be safe because we'll be strong."
In the Baltics, as on NATO's eastern flank, geography and history create an acute awareness of security realities. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania lived under Soviet occupation for half a century and achieved independence only in 1991—experiences that shape their threat assessments differently from allies farther from Russia.
The three Baltic states have coordinated defense procurement, maintained high readiness levels, and consistently advocated for permanent NATO presence on their territory. Their security-first approach, once viewed as alarmist by some Western European allies, now increasingly looks prescient.
Landsbergis's call for strategic autonomy doesn't mean abandoning the transatlantic alliance, Baltic officials emphasize, but rather transforming it. A Europe capable of defending itself would be a stronger NATO partner rather than a weaker one.
"The goal isn't to replace America but to stand beside America," a Baltic defense official explained. "But you can't stand beside someone if you're leaning on them."
The practical implications are significant: Europe would need to dramatically expand defense production, coordinate procurement across national borders, and develop command structures capable of independent operations. Baltic states argue this transformation is both necessary and achievable.
France has seized a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean, demonstrating growing European willingness to enforce sanctions independently. French intelligence now reportedly provides two-thirds of Ukraine's military intelligence, showing European capability when political will exists.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that all 27 EU states agreed to establish the Savings and Investment Union, a step toward the full Capital Markets Union that could redirect €300 billion in annual European savings from US markets to European defense and infrastructure.
Yet challenges remain substantial. European defense procurement remains fragmented across national systems, with each country maintaining separate supply chains and standards. Germany and France often pursue competing defense projects. Southern European states prioritize Mediterranean threats while northern states focus on the Baltic Sea region.
Landsbergis's message carries particular weight because Lithuania has consistently backed words with resources. The country maintains one of NATO's highest defense spending ratios, hosts allied forces, and invests in ammunition stockpiles and infrastructure hardening.
Baltic digital leadership offers another model for European autonomy. Estonia's e-governance systems, Latvia's fintech sector, and Lithuania's cyber defense capabilities demonstrate that small nations can lead in strategic domains through focus and investment rather than size.
"The Baltic states show that strategic autonomy isn't about being the biggest—it's about being the most serious," noted a NATO analyst. "They're three million people telling 400 million Europeans what needs to be done."
Whether Europe will heed that call remains uncertain. But Landsbergis's stark framing—wake up, grow up, become equal partners—reflects Baltic frustration with allies who have the resources for strategic autonomy but not yet the will.
As one Lithuanian official put it: "We've been telling Europe this for years. Russia's war in Ukraine told them the same thing. The question is whether they'll listen before the next crisis forces the choice."
