Lithuania’s Foreign Minister has said that removing Russian President from power is the only way to protect the West and its allies from future threats from Moscow, urging an even tougher stance than the US and many NATO allies have been willing to pursue since Russia"s invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Gabrielius Landsbergis said Vladimir Putin’s annual Victory Day speech was underwhelming and that the gloomy faces of generals and others were signs of failing in the Ukraine war. Yet, he said a wounded Putin may be even more dangerous and that the only way to remove the threat is to remove him.

“From our standpoint, up until the point the current regime is not in power, the countries surrounding it will be, to some extent, in danger. Not just Putin but the whole regime because, you know, one might change Putin and might change his inner circle but another Putin might rise into his place.

And so as long as a regime that intends to wage wars outside Russian territory is in place, the countries surrounding it are in danger. And, if one thing was proven to those who doubted it after 2008 in Georgia in 2014 when the first war in Ukraine started, it is that Russia is an aggressive country. That’s very clear”, - said the Minister.