LRT — broadcast
20260806 153000 UTC
536 transcript segments
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[00:00:00] a drone with explosives found near a Ukrainian plane
[00:00:03] is identified as a hybrid attack, which was allegedly organized by
[00:00:07] professionals.
[00:00:09] A drone armed with explosives on the airport territory is a new
[00:00:13] threat scenario.
[00:00:16] Signatory, the first head of the Lithuanian government after the restoration of
[00:00:19] independence, Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė, was buried in the
[00:00:23] Antakalnis cemetery in Vilnius, on the hill of signatories.
[00:00:27] She enters the great four.
[00:00:30] Landsbergis, Brazauskas, Ozalas and Prunskienė, the state
[00:00:34] is built on these four people.
[00:00:37] FIFA President Gianni Infantino, shaken by scandals, received
[00:00:41] the support of some football federations and apologized for his plans to
[00:00:44] sell the World Football Championship, but opponents
[00:00:48] to make everything public, Infantino must
[00:00:51] resign.
[00:00:55] Lithuania is one of the most famous food tourism countries,
[00:00:58] such a goal is set. The ambitions are high, but how it will be
[00:01:02] done has not yet been conceived, only the country's
[00:01:05] gastronomy strategy is being created.
[00:01:09] The biggest ambition today, you probably might think that it is a utopia
[00:01:12] and that it is impossible, but Lithuania, a gastronomy
[00:01:16] mecca in the next 10 years.
[00:01:30] Based on intelligence information, the Minister of National Defense states:
[00:01:34] Russia is considering a hybrid attack against the Baltic
[00:01:37] states, Poland, but has not
[00:01:40] definitively decided, and Ukrainian
[00:01:43] drones may be used for this. They may be
[00:01:46] launched at critical infrastructure in Lithuania or
[00:01:49] other countries in the region. According to the
[00:01:52] minister, Lithuania has strengthened the protection of facilities. The Prime Minister
[00:01:56] says that the level of threats has not drastically changed.
[00:02:02] "First scenario: a Ukrainian drone flies to a critical
[00:02:05] object in Lithuania or Latvia, Estonia, Poland, energy
[00:02:09] infrastructure, hits, but it was not launched by
[00:02:12] Ukrainians, how to prove that it is the work of Russians, if the drone is
[00:02:15] Ukrainian, how will NATO react, how will
[00:02:18] people react. The second and much more dangerous
[00:02:21] scenario: Russian agents infiltrated the territory of the Baltic states
[00:02:24] Poland, launch a drone at, say, one of the Wildberry warehouses
[00:02:28] that has not yet burned down.
[00:02:30] "Russians record everything and present it as alleged proof, saying that we have repeatedly
[00:02:34] said that the Baltic territory launches a drone at, say, one of the
[00:02:37] Wildberry warehouses that have not yet burned down. Russians record
[00:02:41] everything and present it as alleged proof, saying that we have repeatedly said that
[00:02:44] the Baltic countries are involved, you become a legitimate target.
[00:02:48] Both situations are dangerous and very complex politically.
[00:02:52] The Minister of National Defense says that the available information suggests that Russia
[00:02:56] is considering this. In the near future, in the nearest
[00:02:59] day, what..." something concrete will happen, there is no such date
[00:03:02] a, we are observing Russia's
[00:03:05] well, planning a, let's say,
[00:03:09] moment, about what other NATO
[00:03:12] countries are talking about. The Kremlin hopes that the scenarios
[00:03:16] would bring it several victories: on the one hand, NATO would be in a difficult
[00:03:20] situation, how to react when it is difficult to accurately attribute the organization
[00:03:23] of the attack to Russia. The fourth NATO article was not activated
[00:03:27] even after a Russian missile made a crater in Poland last
[00:03:30] week, on the other hand, the Russians would get an opportunity to incite
[00:03:34] NATO against Ukraine, if there were doubts about the Ukrainians themselves,
[00:03:36] they are looking for a
[00:03:40] alternative ways to escalate the situation. One
[00:03:43] of the moments that is desired to be achieved is also that
[00:03:47] NATO wavers
[00:03:50] and reduces support for Ukraine.
[00:03:52] a, I can assure you
[00:03:55] that this
[00:03:56] will definitely not happen.
[00:03:59] Political scientist Nerijus Maliukevičius says this is a classic tactic dating back to Soviet
[00:04:02] times, to escalate the situation, retreat, and present
[00:04:06] it as a concession during negotiations. You created
[00:04:09] a problem, you created a supposed problem in the Baltic
[00:04:12] countries, a, you can say that there will probably
[00:04:16] not be any more such problems, you will not do it again, but
[00:04:19] then that situation, which you want
[00:04:22] to fix on the Ukrainian front, then you present
[00:04:26] it as certain terms of agreement.
[00:04:30] "The choice for the alliance: the security of the Baltic states or
[00:04:34] aid to Ukraine, such a dilemma can be
[00:04:37] real, it will be necessary to choose whether
[00:04:40] to go down the path of appeasement and try to
[00:04:44] a calm the Kremlin
[00:04:47] in some way, or very clearly
[00:04:51] a well, and with defense capabilities
[00:04:55] show that such actions are not only
[00:04:57] unacceptable, but they are well..." potentially punishable, former Minister
[00:05:01] of National Defense Arvydas Anušauskas says that an attack can be organized
[00:05:05] not necessarily against critical objects, but against those that
[00:05:08] would cause a lot of emotions, saying
[00:05:10] on the other side that Lithuania has unused prevention
[00:05:13] measures, for example, to start limiting transit for those traveling to
[00:05:17] Kaliningrad. From Belarus to drive to
[00:05:21] some Kibartų does not take 24 hours. It is necessary
[00:05:24] to shorten that time, it is necessary to tighten the framework,
[00:05:27] to clearly mark those cars that this is transit
[00:05:31] transport, to shorten it, for example, to three hours, that is enough
[00:05:35] to cross, but there will certainly not be enough time to meet with
[00:05:38] anyone, to arrange anything. The Kremlin's concern
[00:05:41] is growing. the probability of a strike on Kaliningrad,
[00:05:45] which is proven by the enormous efforts made there recently to strengthen
[00:05:48] security, the fleet is hidden under nets, they close the port
[00:05:52] gates so that water drones cannot enter, fighter
[00:05:55] imitations are painted on the runways, frequencies are constantly jammed,
[00:05:58] sources claim that Ukrainians are targeting
[00:06:01] Kaliningrad, but such an operation can be particularly dangerous
[00:06:04] for Lithuania and Poland. In addition, the Kremlin allegedly does not believe that
[00:06:08] the Baltic states are not helping Ukraine reach targets. Robertas Kaunos.
[00:06:12] reiterates: Lithuania does not provide air space
[00:06:16] or land for attacks.
[00:06:20] We will talk to the minister very soon, Seimas Speaker Juozas Olikas reassures
[00:06:24] that there is no need to be intimidated by possible Russian
[00:06:27] provocations, according to him, Lithuania has enough services
[00:06:30] and allied information to know how to prepare for
[00:06:34] preventing possible threats, however, says the Speaker of the Seimas,
[00:06:38] it is still difficult to predict
[00:06:40] the aggressor.
[00:06:42] "all those steps that today are made by, well
[00:06:46] politicians, the Seimas, the government,
[00:06:49] by allocating resources for defense, by coordinating their
[00:06:52] actions with allies, they truly make
[00:06:56] Lithuania safer than ever, so no need
[00:07:00] to run anywhere, no need to buy villas anywhere, or otherwise
[00:07:03] withdraw from Lithuania, here you can actually invest,
[00:07:07] you can take care of things, and all those steps that
[00:07:10] are being taken in the field of defense, it seems..." they are truly making
[00:07:14] more and more difficult
[00:07:18] to violate, so I think that yes, anything can happen
[00:07:21] here, you know, with such an aggressor you cannot
[00:07:24] predict what kind of attempts may be, but it seems that
[00:07:28] both the Lithuanian army and our allied German
[00:07:31] army brigade coming, as well as the Americans who are with
[00:07:35] us, we have prepared
[00:07:39] to minimize any possible
[00:07:43] provocations,
[00:07:45] the full conversation
[00:07:48] of my colleague Guoda Pečiulytė with Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, watch this
[00:07:52] evening at nine in Panorama, now I am talking to the Minister
[00:07:55] of National Defense Robertas Kaunas, good evening,
[00:07:58] hello, Minister, sources have been modeling possible Russian provocations
[00:08:02] and the desire to escalate the situation for more than a month, and today we
[00:08:05] have your official intelligence confirmation that yes,
[00:08:09] Moscow is moving towards aggression, what has changed?
[00:08:12] "that it is being discussed loudly,
[00:08:15] we have probably been discussing it loudly for more than a month
[00:08:19] and not only us, but also our partners in Poland, the United
[00:08:23] States of America, in Ukraine,
[00:08:25] a very clearly and unequivocally states
[00:08:29] that the aggressor, Russia, a
[00:08:32] plans actions to, well, check,
[00:08:36] perhaps, NATO unity, to check
[00:08:39] our ability to
[00:08:42] resist Russian intimidation and
[00:08:45] a probably plans attempts
[00:08:49] to, shall we say, reduce our support
[00:08:52] for Ukraine, we are talking about this loudly so that
[00:08:55] everyone hears, and our citizens in Lithuania, so that
[00:08:59] they clearly hear that the state is working, capable of
[00:09:03] hearing and reacting, and equally, so that the aggressor
[00:09:06] hears that we perfectly see their woven
[00:09:09] plans, what should the Minister
[00:09:13] know today? because, for example, the Prime Minister thinks that perhaps society should not be
[00:09:16] intimidated, society, society truly
[00:09:20] should not be intimidated or frightened, society must understand that
[00:09:24] the state is prepared, the state
[00:09:27] is working, we are strengthening the protection of critical
[00:09:30] infrastructure, we are taking all other necessary actions
[00:09:34] so that our citizens are safe, but equally we
[00:09:38] are honest with our citizens, very clearly stating that
[00:09:41] yes. the aggressor in the east has
[00:09:44] its own intentions and its own plans,
[00:09:48] and you say that you are monitoring the planning, but the exact date is not known, would that
[00:09:52] date become known if the decision to attack was
[00:09:55] made? I have no doubt
[00:09:59] that both Lithuanian intelligence, which works excellently,
[00:10:02] and all NATO intelligence, which has huge
[00:10:06] capabilities and resources, will identify
[00:10:09] such dates when they
[00:10:13] are made, and we will be able to react even more precisely, for today we
[00:10:17] are talking about planning, about
[00:10:20] thinking about how to disrupt, how
[00:10:23] Russian society. The Kremlin regime
[00:10:27] would perhaps want to show that it is capable
[00:10:29] of portraying itself
[00:10:32] as winners. But last week's incident in Poland,
[00:10:36] when a Russian missile made a crater and, well, there was no reaction
[00:10:40] from NATO, raises the question of whether that response
[00:10:43] is prepared, if, as you say, you have been talking for at least a month,
[00:10:46] sources have been talking for several months, a, if
[00:10:50] those Kremlin provocations are planned and if they were
[00:10:54] implemented. What would Lithuania do, what would
[00:10:57] NATO do? a, NATO's reaction was there, it's just
[00:11:00] that not all reactions are public, not all reactions need to be public,
[00:11:04] and the plans that are prepared, they exist, it's just
[00:11:08] that, again, let's understand that it's impossible and it would be very irresponsible
[00:11:13] a both Lithuania
[00:11:16] and our region, and all of NATO
[00:11:20] have a clear, clear plan of how to react and what
[00:11:24] would be a defense is collective,
[00:11:27] not of one country, so in this regard, preparation is at the highest level,
[00:11:31] the question of whether that preparation is actually at the highest
[00:11:34] level, again, let's go back to last week's
[00:11:38] incident in Poland, because, well, many are asking
[00:11:42] why then even the fourth article of the alliance was not
[00:11:46] activated, a for discussions and
[00:11:50] well, for talking and understanding, it is not always necessary to
[00:11:54] activate any additional articles, discussions, understanding, and
[00:11:57] sharing of information takes place a and
[00:12:00] the reaction a is accepted
[00:12:03] as it is today, evaluating all a necessary
[00:12:07] circumstances, so a will
[00:12:11] the public, who today heard from you that
[00:12:15] a the exact date is unknown, but
[00:12:18] such a provocation is being considered, be further informed
[00:12:22] a, what is happening, at what
[00:12:25] stage is that Kremlin planning, and
[00:12:28] what should society do? without
[00:12:31] a doubt, we treat society honestly, so that
[00:12:35] Lithuanian citizens feel safe, so that they understand
[00:12:38] that the state takes care of them, works
[00:12:42] and does its job. Also, the information that is provided,
[00:12:45] well, some information that is made public, it is also
[00:12:49] a signal to the aggressor that both Lithuania and our
[00:12:52] region are capable of...
[00:12:55] seeing, capable of hearing, and capable of reacting.
[00:12:59] Thank you. Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaunas. Thank you for your time
[00:13:02] this evening.
[00:13:05] German officials are still investigating how an explosive-laden
[00:13:09] drone reached the strategically important Leipzig Airport yesterday,
[00:13:12] where a Ukrainian Antonov aircraft base operates. The Minister of the Interior
[00:13:15] stated that the incident is being assessed as a hybrid attack
[00:13:19] scenario. He said that it and the technologies used
[00:13:22] indicate that the operation may have been carried out by
[00:13:26] professionals. The media reports that the drone
[00:13:30] carried about 800 g of military explosives.
[00:13:34] While the airport was closed, another plane nearby
[00:13:37] reportedly collided with an unknown object.
[00:13:41] NATO experts will also participate
[00:13:43] in the investigation of the incident.
[00:13:47] It must be said that we must view this as a very serious security
[00:13:50] incident. In my opinion, we are facing a hybrid attack
[00:13:54] scenario, which unfolded as follows: last night
[00:13:57] a drone was spotted near Leipzig Airport,
[00:14:01] explosives were installed in this drone, this is a new level of threat.
[00:14:04] In the past, we have encountered drones and the threats they pose,
[00:14:08] also in a hybrid context, but an explosive-laden
[00:14:11] drone on airport territory is a new
[00:14:13] threat scenario.
[00:14:16] LRT correspondent in Germany, Mindaugas Savickas, emphasized that although this
[00:14:19] incident differs from previous ones, such as recorded
[00:14:22] reconnaissance drones, interest in it is slowly
[00:14:25] fading,
[00:14:28] such an impression that well, a lot
[00:14:31] is happening, a big country and
[00:14:34] well, a big event on the public agenda, but
[00:14:38] if there is no continuation, it
[00:14:42] fades gradually, because there is a drought, an exhausted
[00:14:46] Rhine, there are,
[00:14:49] there are many other things happening,
[00:14:52] apart from that... "Well, society has
[00:14:56] long been experiencing the stress or tension
[00:15:00] due to a possible confrontation
[00:15:03] with, well, due to Russia's possible war with
[00:15:07] Ukraine, and the former German
[00:15:10] intelligence chief Bruno Kahl has mentioned
[00:15:14] that the purpose of such sabotage actions,
[00:15:17] airspace violations,
[00:15:19] arson, is often not
[00:15:23] so much to cause physical damage,
[00:15:25] but the goal is intimidation and
[00:15:28] an attempt to create tension in society, to pit
[00:15:32] people against each other, they think
[00:15:35] that, well, a...
[00:15:37] a that that people intimidated people well will pressure
[00:15:41] politicians so that Germany would stop
[00:15:45] supporting Ukraine and that
[00:15:47] they would avoid confrontation with Russia, so that
[00:15:51] threat, that possible war with Russia,
[00:15:54] well, is constantly reminded, according
[00:15:57] to the former intelligence chief, with such,
[00:16:00] such, both psychological operations, and
[00:16:04] various arsons, sabotage
[00:16:08] and similar
[00:16:09] actions.
[00:16:12] At the strategically important Leipzig Airport, where a drone with
[00:16:15] explosives was found. After the Russian invasion
[00:16:19] in 2022, the Ukrainian Antonov
[00:16:22] aircraft base was established and became one of the most important
[00:16:26] logistics centers for the warring country in Europe.
[00:16:29] Legendary heavy-duty An-124
[00:16:32] transport aircraft are capable of carrying extremely large
[00:16:36] cargo, therefore they are used by NATO and
[00:16:39] European Union countries to transport strategic
[00:16:42] cargo. For this reason, the airport
[00:16:45] has become a recurring target. Reconnaissance drones
[00:16:49] are often recorded here, but the most serious attack so
[00:16:52] far happened in 2024, when
[00:16:55] a shipment from Lithuania with incendiary
[00:16:59] devices caught fire in a warehouse of the parcel company DHL.
[00:17:02] This incident is also linked to
[00:17:05] Russia.
[00:17:11] "As Russian drones hunt civilians in the Ukrainian frontline,
[00:17:14] Ukrainians have dubbed this brutal killing a safari.
[00:17:18] In Paris, Russians attacked 12 buses this year,
[00:17:21] so the city is installing bulletproof glass on public
[00:17:24] transport. This week, images circulated around the world
[00:17:28] showing a Russian drone attack on a market vendor
[00:17:31] in Kherson.
[00:17:34] Anti-drone nets have been installed throughout the Ukrainian frontline,
[00:17:38] Donbas villages and cities, but now they also cover
[00:17:41] Zaporizhzhia, which is larger than Vilnius. This is done to control
[00:17:45] intensifying attacks with small, fast,
[00:17:48] and extremely precisely controlled FPV
[00:17:51] drones. How such attacks can end,
[00:17:54] the whole world saw on Tuesday in a video from
[00:17:57] Kherson. A Russian drone began to chase
[00:18:00] a 52-year-old vegetable vendor, Yuriy. Ukrainians
[00:18:04] have dubbed this cold-blooded killing of civilians by the occupiers
[00:18:08] a safari. Fortunately, Yuriy survived the Russian attack,
[00:18:12] although he was
[00:18:12] injured.
[00:18:18] He started flying towards me, I started running, showing, look, I have
[00:18:22] nothing, my wife ran away and shouted, where to run, but where
[00:18:25] can you run, it's a steppe, there's nowhere to go, to a shelter, to be
[00:18:29] honest, such a thought didn't even cross my mind, it's scary, of course, it's
[00:18:32] scary.
[00:18:35] The closer the city is to the front, the more means the enemy has
[00:18:39] to attack it. Kherson, from whose center to
[00:18:42] Russian forces on the other side of the Dnieper is no more than 10
[00:18:45] km, suffers from drones, and from artillery, and from
[00:18:49] guided bombs. Zaporizhzhia is further
[00:18:52] from the front, the city is separated from the grey zone by about
[00:18:55] 30 km, but the residents of Zaporizhzhia
[00:18:58] have already seen the Russian safari with their
[00:19:01] own eyes, an enemy drone crashed into a bus that was driving
[00:19:04] in front.
[00:19:07] A month ago I was driving home from work and an FPV drone hit
[00:19:11] a bus that had just passed us, I thought, maybe my
[00:19:15] guardian angel protected me.
[00:19:18] The governor of the Zaporizhzhia region says that the purpose of such Russian attacks
[00:19:22] is to intimidate.
[00:19:25] The enemy's priority is to cause as much panic
[00:19:28] as possible, and such Russian efforts are not
[00:19:31] fruitless. Kateryna, who sells fish and seafood,
[00:19:34] says that all war years are difficult, but it has
[00:19:38] never been as bad as it is now in Zaporizhzhia, her business was also affected
[00:19:42] by the strikes. When the city started launching
[00:19:45] guided bombs, there was no safety left, every
[00:19:48] day according to schedule, from 11 to
[00:19:52] 12 and from 16 to 17.
[00:19:55] Guided bombs fly. And if
[00:19:58] Zaporizhzhia fights drones by hanging nets,
[00:20:02] it can do nothing against guided bombs, admits
[00:20:05] the head of the region.
[00:20:43] no matter what is written in the constitution, which
[00:20:46] no one in Russia respects anyway.
[00:20:51] "Now, Marius Ziedas and other important news
[00:20:53] briefly.
[00:21:01] Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė, the first prime minister of restored independent
[00:21:04] Lithuania and signatory of the March 11th Act, who died last week, was buried
[00:21:08] in Vilnius's Antakalnis Cemetery. The farewell ceremony at St.
[00:21:11] John's Church was attended by many relatives and political allies. Members of her
[00:21:15] government paid their respects by standing guard of honor at the urn. Farewell
[00:21:18] speeches were given at the Antakalnis Cemetery, then she was honored with a minute of
[00:21:22] silence and gun salutes. The tricolor flag was presented to her
[00:21:26] relatives. Today, here,
[00:21:29] in the Pantheon of Serenity, we remember not
[00:21:33] political evaluations, but a strong,
[00:21:37] dynamic, and principled personality,
[00:21:41] who significantly contributed to the
[00:21:44] creation of free Lithuania with her
[00:21:47] work. Her led cabinet
[00:21:51] of ministers was a cabinet of harmony.
[00:21:54] In the face of uncertainty and the constant military threat of the Soviet Union,
[00:21:58] it laid the foundations for the Lithuanian
[00:22:00] state.
[00:22:04] The prosecutor's office expanded and reclassified the pre-trial investigation
[00:22:07] initiated on July 27 regarding illegal border crossing
[00:22:10] in the Lazdijai district. The media previously reported that after detecting a tunnel being dug
[00:22:14] under the state border, four border guards set up an ambush. The border guards
[00:22:18] detained several migrants who emerged from the tunnel. They handcuffed them, but about 20
[00:22:22] foreigners attacked the officers, who had to flee. At that time, the migrants, including
[00:22:25] those handcuffed, fled to Belarus.
[00:22:29] I am convinced that the officers acted according to the situation
[00:22:33] at the time and all risks. In their regard,
[00:22:36] I personally do not see any need
[00:22:40] to initiate an investigation, an official
[00:22:43] inspection, or otherwise evaluate
[00:22:46] their actions, a, I am convinced that they acted.
[00:22:50] Lithuanian
[00:22:53] officials found almost half a million packs of illegal
[00:22:56] cigarettes, worth almost two and a half million euros, in a truck
[00:22:59] that entered from Latvia. This is the largest seizure of illegal cigarettes
[00:23:03] this year by Lithuanian customs. It is suspected that the tobacco products were manufactured
[00:23:07] in shadow factories in Latvia, some of them marked with Belarusian excise stamps, some
[00:23:11] without them. A pre-trial
[00:23:12] investigation has been launched.
[00:23:15] The Swedish Supreme Court upheld the decision to hand over to Ukraine
[00:23:19] this year a cargo ship seized at sea suspected of illegally transporting
[00:23:23] grain from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The court rejected the ship
[00:23:26] owners' appeal. The ship was seized in March off the southern coast of Sweden
[00:23:30] on suspicion of flying a foreign flag, being unfit for operation, and other
[00:23:34] violations. Ukraine requested the handover of the ship as part of its investigation into war
[00:23:37] crimes.
[00:23:41] In July, more than 30 electric passenger cars
[00:23:45] were registered in Lithuania, one and a half times more than in the same period last year. Their total
[00:23:49] number in the country.
[00:23:52] According to the Lithuanian Energy Agency, electric vehicles make up
[00:23:55] 3% of the country's total passenger car fleet, half of which
[00:23:58] are pure electric vehicles.
[00:24:02] Rasetapienė continues
[00:24:04] an important hour.
[00:24:13] FIFA President Gianni Infantino, criticized by his closest associates,
[00:24:16] will continue to lead the global football organization.
[00:24:20] "Following the scandal over intentions to open the World Cup
[00:24:23] to investors, FIFA leaders apologized for such
[00:24:26] plans, but expressed full support
[00:24:29] for Infantino. Opponents claim Infantino's career has failed.
[00:24:33] The World Football Federation needs a new
[00:24:36] leader. UEFA added that Infantino's apology means
[00:24:39] nothing, European countries are still prepared to boycott
[00:24:43] the World Cup.
[00:24:46] The FIFA President proposed establishing a company to organize the most important football events.
[00:24:50] This company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, would distribute the four
[00:24:52] billion dollars received from selling 20% of its shares to FIFA members
[00:24:56] and increase their funding for several years. When the Swiss's
[00:24:59] intentions became known, three important continental football confederations
[00:25:03] rose up, and UEFA threatened a boycott of the World Cup.
[00:25:07] Infantino's plans were also criticized within FIFA.
[00:25:11] General Secretary Mattias Grabstrom stated that this
[00:25:14] was reprehensible. The head of football development, legendary coach Arsene
[00:25:17] Wenger, distanced himself from Infantino. He learned about his
[00:25:20] plans only from the media, but yesterday at the meeting, the organization
[00:25:24] admitted its mistake, and the president was given unanimous
[00:25:26] support. A FIFA statement said that the World Football
[00:25:30] Federation would not tolerate any attack or doubts about its
[00:25:32] transparency. However, the declaration does not convince opponents.
[00:25:36] Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Infantino made a fatal
[00:25:39] mistake. The idea that good governance
[00:25:43] means not disclosing anything important to one's closest advisors,
[00:25:46] let alone a specific proposal, is disastrous.
[00:25:50] You lose trust in such person. FIFA has its
[00:25:53] procedures for making decisions. I no longer trust Mr. Infantino. I will give
[00:25:57] an example. Carlos Cordeiro is an honest man, whom
[00:26:00] I have known for more than 30 years.
[00:26:03] He was Infantino's advisor and had experience in all
[00:26:06] matters, but he was not consulted,
[00:26:09] this is not how any business is run, let alone something
[00:26:13] that requires such global responsibility, like
[00:26:15] football.
[00:26:19] The investors of the companies conceived by Infantino are united by the family circle
[00:26:22] of United States President Donald Trump among those interested in FIFA's
[00:26:25] commercial rights. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's brother
[00:26:28] Joshua, a close friend of Infantino. The influence of Trump and the US leader
[00:26:31] on the Swiss was particularly evident in the organization of this year's
[00:26:35] World Cup. UEFA called Infantino's plans a non-transparent
[00:26:38] backroom deal. Europeans were angry because there were no consultations
[00:26:41] on this matter. FIFA promised to use the money received for football
[00:26:45] development. WiFi replica, it is not necessary to sell the family silver when
[00:26:49] there are five billion dollars in the account. Europe also does not forget
[00:26:52] the non-transparent decisions regarding the right to host the World
[00:26:56] Cups. Infantino
[00:26:58] has made many terrible
[00:27:02] decisions in recent years. He clearly lacks
[00:27:05] the necessary qualities. He is not the leader that FIFA
[00:27:09] needs. Either he should resign, or football
[00:27:12] federations must find a suitable candidate to challenge
[00:27:15] and defeat him.
[00:27:17] Portuguese football legend Luis Figo,
[00:27:21] himself once a candidate for the FIFA presidency, described Infantino's behavior as treacherous,
[00:27:24] cowardly and selfish. According to Figo, one can write about FIFA's problems
[00:27:28] 1000 words, but for the solution, only three are enough.
[00:27:32] Infantino must go. The FIFA
[00:27:35] meeting in Morocco highlighted a clear disconnect between the organization's
[00:27:38] leaders and the confederations that unite it, which hold the actual
[00:27:42] voting rights. FIFA's
[00:27:45] opponents, UEFA and the Confederation of North, Central American and
[00:27:48] Caribbean Association Football, have approximately 90 votes. To remove
[00:27:51] Infantino, 106 votes would be needed in the ongoing elections.
[00:27:54] The final decision will be made by Asian countries.
[00:27:57] The most realistic candidate to become the new FIFA president
[00:28:01] is the current vice-president Viktor Montalijanis, who has the support of South American
[00:28:04] and European countries.
[00:28:07] Well, in the studio, the president of the professional footballers' association, Arūnas Klimavičius.
[00:28:10] Good evening.
[00:28:13] Good evening. A number of federations
[00:28:17] continue to express no confidence in Gianni Infantino. One
[00:28:20] of them, UEFA. That is composed of big European
[00:28:23] clubs, but well, despite those
[00:28:27] demands, Infantino retained confidence, or is
[00:28:31] it just a formality before next year's elections?
[00:28:34] I would say that it is a really interesting situation, because maybe two groups are emerging, who want
[00:28:38] to support and want a different president, which is already good, that there is a discussion, we probably need to start
[00:28:42] from that, but that support probably
[00:28:45] could be understood and was foreseen a little earlier, because after all, those smaller
[00:28:49] countries, which, let's say, support that same Africa, they
[00:28:52] understand that FIFA's
[00:28:56] revenues from FIFA are the largest part of the federation's funds.
[00:28:59] And those countries, which, let's say, also get from other sources, from various
[00:29:02] European championships or from other championships, South American championships, from broadcasts, they
[00:29:06] are more independent and we see that in this situation they are sufficiently
[00:29:09] active. It is very interesting that you mentioned small
[00:29:13] countries, Lithuania is one such and you say that Infantino, for that
[00:29:16] support, promises greater funding, so
[00:29:20] well, considering that small countries usually
[00:29:23] have less money, that offer seems very
[00:29:27] alluring, it certainly seems alluring, but... but one needs to look at
[00:29:30] what portion of the budget FIFA revenues and UEFA revenues constitute in the Lithuanian Football
[00:29:33] Federation's budget, so FIFA revenues constitute up to 10%, about
[00:29:37] one and a half million revenues only from 15 of all
[00:29:41] revenues received per year, while UEFA is 7
[00:29:45] million, about 7 million, and we see how big that difference
[00:29:48] is and it is understandable that when European
[00:29:52] countries certainly, before making any decision, held
[00:29:55] a meeting and decided to be together, which is certainly logical.
[00:29:58] And those revenues certainly influence the final decision. So
[00:30:03] how would you predict how the situation
[00:30:07] over these upcoming months, for example, might
[00:30:10] develop further, taking into account the resistance of European countries,
[00:30:13] Canada, other states.
[00:30:17] Indeed, the situation for Infantino is perhaps very unexpected, because,
[00:30:19] let's say, even six months ago all countries of the world expressed support, including
[00:30:23] Lithuanian federations. At that time, there was no such
[00:30:26] situation, but now there is really a very
[00:30:29] great resistance. The methodology, that which, let's say, one hears
[00:30:34] quite a lot, is somewhat dictatorial, yes, it led to
[00:30:37] the possibility that the person felt a bit above football, and when
[00:30:41] such things happen, the situation of European
[00:30:45] and world football shows that sometimes governments also intervene,
[00:30:48] and more influential people, and they try to stop
[00:30:51] that person, even remember the same Super League project, when
[00:30:54] even the British government clearly let
[00:30:57] the clubs of Great Britain know that "you
[00:31:01] better not participate", therefore, when someone
[00:31:05] gets above football, well, there is that football
[00:31:08] community that stops them, and this time it was so, but would
[00:31:11] you say that...