The leader of Lithuania called President Donald Trump’s address to the United Nations Tuesday “strong,” especially when it comes to protecting the border.

“The independent state has to control the border,” President Gitanas Nausėda said in an exclusive interview with Fox News.

Lithuania shares a 422-mile border with Belarus and a 161-mile border with Russia (Kaliningrad).

“We built the fence, a physical barrier, and provided the tools necessary for a modern surveillance system. Now the country’s safe,” Nausėda said. “We pushed back on those migrants who are coming into [our] country.”

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda during a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. (REUTERS/Toby Melville)

“There shouldn’t be a tradeoff between economic benefits and geopolitical goals because we are talking about our security. If we pay for Russian gas or oil today, tomorrow we might be attacked because this money fuels Russia’s war machine.”

Two months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania ended its imports of Russian oil and gas.

Asked if Putin might one day attack a NATO nation, Nausėda replied, “We should be prepared. We should do anything in our hands to deter [them.] I believe in deterrence, but we have to build a credible wall of deterrence. This is the reason why Lithuania’s very enthusiastic about President Donald Trump’s appeal to spend more on defense. We are ready to spend 5% and more. 2035 is not okay for us. We want to spend between 5 and 6% starting in 2026.” 

In March, Lithuania’s defense minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, told Fox News the only way to negotiate with Putin is with a “gun on the table.”

Today, one-fifth of Lithuania’s military procurement is spent on American weapons, the president said.

After a recent breach of NATO airspace over another Baltic country, Estonia, by three armed Russian MiG-31 Foxhounds, Nausėda said his country would be ready to act should such a violation occur over his country. “We have sufficient capabilities,” he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech during the General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 23, 2025. (Li Rui/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Asked about reports the Pentagon was cutting some security funding for the Baltic States, Nausėda did not appear overly concerned. “It’s not a final decision.”

Lithuania, along with the other Baltic States, recently announced it would leave the Ottawa Convention, allowing them to deploy anti-personnel landmines as the country beefs up its border to better protect itself from neighboring Russia and Belarus. 

Nausėda hopes the 1,200 American soldiers currently deployed to his country will remain. Four were killed during a training accident in March. They were given full military honors in the capital.

“Vilnius is [a] great capital. We have very nice nature, and we have very friendly people,” Nausėda said.