Russia’s leadership currently sees no need to enter negotiations with Ukraine — “at least not before spring 2027,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in an interview with the German newspaper WELT, which was also published by the British newspaper The Telegraph.
Nauseda said Moscow would continue pressuring Kyiv throughout the winter with drone and missile strikes on cities, while its hybrid war against Europe would not stop. “The Russians will only pretend to be negotiating. I do not trust them,” he said. In his view, Russia would deliberately put forward demands unacceptable to Ukraine so that the negotiations would fail.
“If Ukraine survives this winter — and I am convinced it will — the chances of serious negotiations in 2027 will increase. I do not expect them earlier,” the Lithuanian president added. He called for continued military assistance to Ukraine, especially the supply of air-defense systems, and for help rebuilding its energy infrastructure.
The statement came amid renewed diplomatic efforts. U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff said representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States would hold talks in Abu Dhabi the following week — the first meeting in a trilateral format since February. On Thursday, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump brought together Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House, including Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Nauseda also listed manifestations of the hybrid war against Europe: illegal migration, weather balloons entering airspace and drones. He said Vilnius, like Poland, had accelerated work to strengthen the border.
