Lithuanian President Nausėda vows security focus in second term

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda was sworn in for a second five-year term on Friday.

In a speech in parliament in Vilnius, the 60-year-old promised to work for the security of the Baltic EU and NATO country, which borders the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia's close ally Belarus.

Nausėda was convincingly re-elected at the end of May. The economist has led the country since 2019.

"National security will be one of my most important tasks as head of state," Nauseda said after being sworn in.

Achieving Ukraine's victory in the war against Russia must remain the priority, he said: "We must continue to be the loud voice of Ukraine on the international stage."

Nausėda regularly represents his country at EU summits, and the Lithuanian president is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

In response to the war in Ukraine, the German government has pledged to permanently station a brigade of up to 5,000 German soldiers in the Baltic state.