On November 21, the Geopolitics and Security Studies Centre, under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, together with the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Lithuania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Lithuania, the Atlantic Council, the Munich Security Conference (MSC), RAND Europe, GLOBSEC, and LRT, organized the eleventh forum dedicated to the memory of Lithuanian diplomat Stasys Lozoraitis.
The Forum was formally opened by the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, who delivered the keynote address and took part in a conversation moderated by Linas Kojala, Director of GSSC. The President underlined that close cooperation with the United States remains essential for regional stability and energy security; that Europe must strengthen the protection of its external borders and resilience against hybrid threats; and that support for Ukraine has to be consistent and long term – from sanctions on Russia to credible security guarantees. He also stressed that, while resolving its internal tensions, the European Union must preserve its strategic unity and its core values.
The opening was followed by a high-level conversation on Europe’s security agenda with Kęstutis Budrys, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, and Marcin Przydacz, Secretary of State and Head of the International Policy Bureau in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. The discussion was moderated by Thomas Grove, journalist at The Wall Street Journal. The speakers explored how far Europe is prepared to assume greater responsibility for its own defence while maintaining strong transatlantic links; how to reconcile rapid innovation – especially in artificial intelligence – with the protection of democratic standards; and how NATO and the EU should respond to the security challenges posed by Russia.
The Forum’s first panel, “What Long-Term Peace in Ukraine Requires Now?”, organised in partnership with the Atlantic Council, examined the conditions for lasting peace in Ukraine. The panel brought together Alexander Khara (Executive Director, Centre for Defence Strategies), Anna Wieslander (Director for Northern Europe, Atlantic Council), Tacan Ildem (Chairman, Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies) and John Foreman CBE (Associate Fellow, Chatham House and NEST; former UK Defence Attaché to Moscow and Kyiv). The discussion was moderated by Sylvie Kauffmann, Foreign Affairs Columnist at Le Monde. Participants stressed that Ukraine’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation; that security guarantees must be clear and credible; and that a strong Ukrainian army must become an integral part of Europe’s security planning, even if this means Europe taking on a greater share of the defence burden in the future.
The second panel, “Can Regional Pacts Replace Grand Alliances?”, held in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden in Lithuania, focused on the relationship between regional formats and major alliances. The speakers were Christian Danielsson (State Secretary to the Minister for EU Affairs of Sweden), Norman Eisen (Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution), Jana Puglierin (Head of Berlin Office and Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations) and Ben Schreer (Executive Director for Europe, International Institute for Strategic Studies). The discussion was moderated by Hiroyuki Akita, Commentator on Foreign Affairs and International Security at Nikkei. It was emphasised that NATO remains the strongest alliance in history, and that regional formats – such as cooperation among the Nordic and Baltic states – should reinforce rather than replace the transatlantic link by pooling resources and creating more flexible chains of response.
The third panel, “How to Keep America Hooked?”, organised together with GLOBSEC, examined the future of the U.S. role in Europe. The panel included Philippe Étienne (President of “Mission Libération”, former French Ambassador to the United States), Doug Mastriano (Pennsylvania State Senator; Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee), Jakob Hallgren (Director, Swedish Institute of International Affairs) and Laurynas Kasčiūnas (Member of the Lithuanian Parliament). The moderator was Robert Vass, Founder and CEO of GLOBSEC. The discussion analysed how domestic political developments in the United States shape its commitments to Europe; what arguments and policy choices Europe must offer to remain an attractive and reliable partner; and which fallback strategies are needed should American attention to Europe weaken.
The fourth panel, “What Makes Countries Safe?”, organised in partnership with RAND Europe, explored what truly underpins long-term national security. The speakers were Ilan Berman (Senior Vice President, American Foreign Policy Council), Ruth Harris (Executive Director National Security, RAND Europe), Tomoyuki Yoshida (Chief Executive Director, Japan Institute of International Affairs) and Kristi Raik (Director, The International Centre for Defence and Security in Estonia). The conversation, moderated by Dominik Presl, Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs, focused on the importance of political will to defend, sustained defence investment, technological advantage and close coordination among allies, especially in light of the nuclear ambitions of authoritarian states such as Iran and North Korea.
The fifth panel, “How to Deter Attacks Below NATO Article 5?”, concentrated on hybrid, cyber and other forms of hostile activity that remain below the threshold of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, yet systematically undermine the Alliance. The discussion featured Du Hyeogn Cha (Vice President, Asan Institute for Policy Studies), Jonatan Vseviov (Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia) and Robert Hamilton (President, Delphi Global Research Center), and was moderated by Margarita Šešelgytė, Director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University. Experts underlined that deterrence measures must target not only infrastructure and technical systems but also the decision-makers behind hostile actions, and that clear attribution of attacks as well as coordinated responses by allies are crucial to preventing escalation.
The Forum also featured three fireside chat conversations.
During Fireside Chat I, Victoria Coates, Vice President of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation, together with Oliver Moody, Berlin Correspondent for The Times, discussed evolving U.S. security thinking – from approaches towards Russia to energy security and the future of transatlantic relations.
In Fireside Chat II, Peter Andrysiak, Senior Counselor specialising in European defence at Palantir Technologies, spoke with Linas Kojala, Director of GSSC, about data-driven decision-making, the integration of artificial intelligence into the defence sector, and organisational culture barriers that prevent the full use of technological potential.
During Fireside Chat III, Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of the Kyiv School of Economics, moderated by Rikard Jozwiak, Europe Editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, shared insights on Ukraine’s economic and military resilience, anti-corruption challenges and the building of a modern, technology-driven armed forces in wartime conditions.
The Geopolitics and Security Studies Center thanks all participants, speakers, moderators, partners and volunteers for their contribution to the success of the Forum and looks forward to welcoming everyone again at the 12th GSSC Vilnius Forum.
