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On 22 October in Tokyo, on his working visit to Japan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kęstutis Budrys met with representatives from Japanese think tanks and EU diplomatic missions.

The Minister said in the discussion that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is the biggest security challenge for Europe since the end of the Cold War. Budrys noted that this war had destroyed Europe’s long-established security architecture, breaking all treaties and undermining international commitments.

"Russia poses a direct threat not only to Europe, but also encourages the aggressive stance of North Korea and China in the Pacific, and Iran's in the Middle East region. These threats are clearly linked and require a common response", said the Minister.

The head of Lithuania’s diplomacy stressed that Europe is facing intense forms of Russian hybrid warfare  – sabotage, drone attacks, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and election interference. According to Budrys, these measures, although often cheap and inconspicuous, cause great economic and social damage, confusion, as well as undermine trust in democratic institutions.

Budrys also underlined that the European security and that of the Indo-Pacific are inseparable and indivisible.

“We face common security challenges from revisionist authoritarian states. We need to make this clear and communicate, especially in our dialogue with the United States. Only through our joint effort can we counter Russian and Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force, both in Europe and in the East and South China Seas," the Minister said.