Lithuania Warns of Possible Russian Attacks on Infrastructure as EU Sanctions Talks Go Down to the Wire

Baltic leader flags escalation risk as bloc struggles to finalize new penalties on Moscow

Lithuania's president warned that Russia could be preparing "targeted" attacks on critical infrastructure and might be looking to escalate against one of the Baltic states or Poland, according to The Guardian.

The warning came as European Union negotiators worked to finalize the bloc's next round of sanctions against Russia, with talks again going down to the wire. A Brussels correspondent cited by The Guardian said officials were pushing for an agreement but preparing a fallback option if none is reached: "Our aim is to have an agreement. If we don't have an agreement we start to work on plan B."

The warning adds to mounting anxiety among NATO's eastern members over Russian intentions well beyond Ukraine, as the EU continues to weigh economic pressure on Moscow more than four years into the war.

— Compiled from reporting by The Guardian.