NATO summit host Lithuania is a small country with a loud voice, especially when it comes to Russia

By LIUDAS DAPKUS
Associated Press

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — One of the smallest members of NATO is preparing to hold one of the most important summits in the alliance’s 74-year history. Russia’s war on Ukraine has dragged on for 17 months. Like its Baltic neighbors, Lithuania is among the strongest backers of Ukraine. And it’s one of the loudest advocates for protecting NATO’s eastern borders against any future Russian aggression. But Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuania’s former president, tells the AP that she’s unsure whether allied leaders understand how dangerous Russian President Vladimir Putin can still be. At their summit, she says “I doubt that the decision on Ukraine’s future will be precise and affirmative.”