China must position itself over Ukraine: Lithuania president

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday cast doubt on China's credibility as a mediator in Ukraine in an exclusive interview with DW.

China has presented itself as a neutral third party in the conflict in Ukraine and has called for peace talks, while also maintaining a "no limits" friendship with Russia. Ukraine's allies have criticized Beijing for refusing to explicitly condemn Russia's invasion.

Nauseda is in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Lithuania is preparing to host a NATO summit in its capital Vilnius in July.

Nauseda urges Beijing to condemn war

The Lithuanian leader said that although China could become a mediator in the conflict, condemnation of Russia's invasion would be a "precondition" for it to take on such a role.

"So far we didn't see and we didn't hear anything about the condemnation of this war," Nauseda told DW, referring to China's statements on the war in Ukraine.

"As long as China hesitates to take a very clear position on that, it it's very difficult to believe that it might be the credible moderator in this conflict," he said.

Lithuania's president said that it is important to understand whether China is "on the side of Russia" or "on the side of the international rules-based order."

Nauseda also touched on rumors that China was helping Russia to circumvent Western-imposed sanctions, saying it was "not a very good sign."

It was important for allies not to "bargain on the behalf of Ukraine" and make concessions not accepted by Kyiv, he stressed. "Territorial integrity is a sacred element of these negotiations."

Relations between Lithuania and China strained

Beijing has seen strained relations with Vilnius since November 2021, when Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open its de facto embassy in the country.

China then blocked Lithuanian exports and imposed sanctions on Lithuanian officials. It also downgraded its relations with the Baltic country, replacing its ambassador with a charge d'affaires.

China considers Taiwan to be part of its own territory, and urges countries not to deal with the self-governing island directly.

Lithuania also exited the 16+1 economic forum set up by China with the aim of improving business relations with countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Latvia and Estonia also followed suit in August 2022.

In May, Taiwan announced a $200 million (€176 million) investment fund in Lithuania and vowed to take in blocked Lithuanian goods.

Nauseda reaffirms NATO defense pledge, calls for more sanctions

Nauseda said that Vilnius was working to "modernize" its armed forces and increase defense spending. He said that Lithuania aimed to bring defense spending to 2.5% or 3% of GDP this year.

The Lithuanian leader said that 2% of GDP should be a "baseline" rather than a "ceiling" of military spending, referring to the benchmark agreed to by NATO member states.

Nauseda called for Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill to be put on the EU's sanctions list.

"Lithuania is always on the side of stronger sanctions," he said, adding that discussions on sanctions take "too long."

"Sometimes measures are weaker than we could anticipate," he said.

Nonetheless, Nauseda said that Lithuania's allies were still "doing a lot in order to support Ukraine."

This interview was conducted by DW Chief Political Correspondent Nina Haase

Edited by: Wesley Dockery