Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas says what Lithuania says is always based on facts
Robertas KaunasLithuanian minister of national defence, speaking to reporters, quoted by LRT
Asked about the Reuters report, Kaunas says Lithuania's statements are always based on facts, giving the example of saying a Russian drone flew in when one did.
Responding to
Pentagon officials, including Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, asked Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in recent weeks to tone down their public rhetoric about the threat posed by Russia.
“What we speak is always based on facts. If a Russian drone flew in, we say that a Russian drone flew in.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Reuters reports Pentagon officials asked Baltic states to tone down their rhetoric on Russia; Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal says Estonia will stay outspoken
On October 30, 2026, Reuters reported, citing four unnamed people, that Pentagon officials had asked Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in recent weeks to tone down their public rhetoric about the threat from Russia, and that Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby was among the officials delivering the message. A Pentagon official declined to comment on what the official called private conversations among allies. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Delfi that Estonia would remain outspoken about the threat from Russia, and Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said Lithuania states facts and will continue to do so.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
LRT English report of October 30, 2026, with the BNS news agency, summarizing the Reuters report and adding responses from Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas and from President Gitanas Nausėda's office.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
LRT reports that Kaunas said there was no information available to the minister about Pentagon officials asking Lithuanian leaders to tone down their rhetoric on Russia.
After the quotation
Kaunas adds that if a Ukrainian drone flew in, Lithuania says so too, that it does not try or wish to provoke, and that it states the facts and will continue to do so. LRT also reports that President Gitanas Nausėda's office said the president and the president's advisers had received no requests from allies to soften their rhetoric.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Pentagon's reported request that the Baltic states tone down their public rhetoric about Russia. Kaunas says Lithuania's statements are factual and not meant to provoke, challenging the premise that they are unhelpful rhetoric.
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The Dispute Index. "Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas says what Lithuania says is always based on facts". First published: 2026-11-02. Last updated: 2026-11-02. https://disputeindex.com/events/7756-asked-about-the-reuters-report-kaunas-says-lithuania