Lithuania says 2-state solution remains 'only way' for lasting peace in Middle East

The Lithuanian president on Tuesday said a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict is the "only way" towards peace in the Middle East.

In his address at the UN General Assembly in New York, Gitanas Nauseda said his country supports international efforts to maintain and consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza.

He noted that the comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, including the deployment of the temporary international stabilization force, provides the guidelines to follow.

Nauseda reiterated the importance of full demilitarization of non-state armed groups.

"Humanitarian aid must also be allowed to reach those in need safely and without obstruction," he said. “To this day, the two-state solution remains the only way towards a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.”

'Russia has already lost the war'

Turning to the war, the Lithuanian president said Russia poses the "greatest threat" to the world order.

"The current stage of the war, which began with the full-scale invasion in February 2022, has already lasted longer than World War I," he said.

He said Russia has suffered one and a half million military casualties since 2022, gaining only 0.3% of Ukraine's territory at the cost of over 400,000 soldiers killed and wounded.

"Yet all these enormous efforts, all that blood and tears, basically came to nothing. Ukraine is still standing proudly as an independent state," he said. "Russia has already lost the war."

Arguing that Russia's "imperial ambitions" reach far into Europe, Africa, and Asia, Nauseda said no country should consider itself immune from this threat.

He recalled intensified hybrid attacks, disinformation, and sabotage efforts across Europe and said in recent months Russia's "war of aggression has led to numerous violations of our airspace by combat drones."

The Lithuanian president underlined that these risks are being further increased by the use of AI.

Lithuania strongly believes that the future of AI must not be determined by "authoritarian control, technological coercion, or the malicious use of data," he added.