Putin looks for new targets in Baltics as Ukraine invasion stalls, Lithuania's defense minister warns

The Kremlin is looking for fresh escalation as its war effort in Ukraine stalls, and sees the Baltic countries and Poland as the "closest targets," Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said in an interview with LRT public broadcaster published on July 20.

Kaunas is the latest allied official to warn that Moscow may be preparing to test NATO's eastern flank as its war against Ukraine grinds on.

According to the Lithuanian defense minister, "Russian society is already asking the regime" why it has thus far failed to achieve a victory in Ukraine while Russia itself faces strikes and fuel shortages.

"The Kremlin, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, needs a new escalation, some kind of new victory, and in this case the Baltic region and Poland are the closest targets," Kaunas told LRT Radio.

Recent weeks saw leaders from both Poland and Lithuania — two NATO nations bordering Moscow's ally Belarus and the heavily armed Russian exclave of Kaliningrad — warn about potential Russian provocations against their countries.

NATO officials have also not ruled out the possibility of a conventional Russian assault in coming years. German army chief Christian Freuding said it is "NATO-agreed intelligence" that Moscow will be ready to invade a member state as early as 2029.

The warnings come amid growing concerns about NATO unity as U.S. President Donald Trump adopts a tougher stance toward European allies, and his administration signals a review of the U.S. military presence in Europe. Even so, Western officials have insisted the alliance remains prepared to respond to Russian provocations.

In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the chair of the NATO Military Committee, said NATO is ready to answer to any hostile moves by Russia.

"(Russia) would lose a lot, much more than what they could gain just by touching Poland or the Baltic states," the NATO military chief said.