 The West must take decisive action to stop Vladimir Putin's 'imperial' ambitions as his hybrid war spreads far beyond Ukraine, a former Nato assistant secretary general has said. Giedrimas Jeglinskas spoke as the Western military alliance holds a crucial summit in Vilnius today, with Russia's full-scale invasion of its peaceful neighbour dominating the agenda. Jeglinskas, now a non-resident senior fellow at US think-tank the Atlantic Council, wants to see Kyiv given 'unequivocal' support to stop Russia posing a threat to the democratic world. He told Metro.co.uk that Lithuanians, whose country is a Nato member and home to one of its eastern flank battlegroups, are 'worried' about the ever-present threat on their doorstep. Jeglinskas also said that 'red lines' held by Western nations, such as providing Ukraine with tanks, have been falling away and it is time to arm Kyiv for victory. He spoke from the Lithuanian capital, where the summit is considering Ukraine's arming and possible future ascension into Nato, which stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Nato and Lithuanian flags are displayed at the alliance's summit in Vilnius (Picture: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Shutterstock) 'Russia has been pursuing hybrid, or you could call it total or all-encompassing war, for decades or centuries,' Jeglinskas said. 'They are now utilising new technologies and you could call it the weaponisation of everything, whether it's energy, sabotage or anything connected to social media, exploiting the freedoms that we have in the West to their own advantage. There are all kinds of things Russia is doing in a very efficient manner and they have dedicated units which they have invested in such as the GRU, FSB and civilian and military intelligence agencies. 'You could describe the whole occupation of Crimea almost nine years ago with){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
The West must take decisive action to stop Vladimir Putin’s ‘imperial’ ambitions as his hybrid war spreads far beyond Ukraine, a former Nato assistant secretary general has said.
Giedrimas Jeglinskas spoke as the Western military alliance holds a crucial summit in Vilnius today, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of its peaceful neighbour dominating the agenda.
Jeglinskas, now a non-resident senior fellow at US think-tank the Atlantic Council, wants to see Kyiv given ‘unequivocal’ support to stop Russia posing a threat to the democratic world.
He told Metro.co.uk that Lithuanians, whose country is a Nato member and home to one of its eastern flank battlegroups, are ‘worried’ about the ever-present threat on their doorstep.