Lithuanian citizens are stepping up preparations for possible Russian aggression as concern grows over Moscow’s military ambitions and US-led efforts to revive peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The mobilisation comes as President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travel between Moscow and Kyiv. The pair held more than three hours of talks with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Saturday before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv the following day, although no breakthrough was announced. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/36a991feaff241bb8f24857ac159202a))
For Lithuania, diplomatic activity has done little to diminish the need for national preparedness. The country’s Ministry of National Defence says its approach to security must involve not only the armed forces and state institutions, but also businesses, civic organisations and ordinary citizens.
Its civil-resilience strategy includes practical mobilisation exercises, crisis preparation and training in civil resistance. Officials have identified the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union as having a role in both armed defence and unarmed resistance, while encouraging wider participation by other community organisations. ([kam.lt](https://kam.lt/en/civil-resilience/))
The preparations reflect Lithuania’s position on NATO’s eastern flank, bordering Russia’s Kaliningrad region and Belarus. The country’s intelligence services have warned that Russia is expanding military capabilities near NATO’s eastern borders, while continuing intelligence and influence operations directed at Lithuania. ([vsd.lt](https://www.vsd.lt/en/reports/national-threat-assessment-2026/))
President Gitanas Nausėda has also urged the public to treat civil protection as a central part of national defence. In a speech in June, he said Lithuania needed an effective warning system, a stronger network of shelters and readiness for “total resistance” as a means of deterrence. ([lrs.lt](https://www.lrs.lt/sip/portal.show?p_k=2&p_r=35403&p_t=295326))
That message has taken on added significance as the war in Ukraine continues and uncertainty persists over the outcome of Washington’s diplomatic initiative. Zelensky said after meeting Witkoff and Kushner that the United States was exploring limited steps to reduce tensions during the winter, including arrangements involving energy infrastructure and grain shipments. ([axios.com](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/07/zelensky-ukraine-russia-war-witkoff-kushner-putin-trump))
Lithuania’s authorities have not suggested that an attack is imminent. Instead, the focus is on ensuring that the state and its population could respond quickly to military, hybrid or civil emergencies, with preparedness presented as a way of strengthening deterrence rather than predicting conflict.
