Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:00a drone with explosives found near a Ukrainian plane
00:00:03is identified as a hybrid attack, which was allegedly organized by
00:00:07professionals.
00:00:09A drone armed with explosives on the airport territory is a new
00:00:13threat scenario.
00:00:16Signatory, the first head of the Lithuanian government after the restoration of
00:00:19independence, Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė, was buried in the
00:00:23Antakalnis cemetery in Vilnius, on the hill of signatories.
00:00:27She enters the great four.
00:00:30Landsbergis, Brazauskas, Ozalas and Prunskienė, the state
00:00:34is built on these four people.
00:00:37FIFA President Gianni Infantino, shaken by scandals, received
00:00:41the support of some football federations and apologized for his plans to
00:00:44sell the World Football Championship, but opponents
00:00:48to make everything public, Infantino must
00:00:51resign.
00:00:55Lithuania is one of the most famous food tourism countries,
00:00:58such a goal is set. The ambitions are high, but how it will be
00:01:02done has not yet been conceived, only the country's
00:01:05gastronomy strategy is being created.
00:01:09The biggest ambition today, you probably might think that it is a utopia
00:01:12and that it is impossible, but Lithuania, a gastronomy
00:01:16mecca in the next 10 years.
00:01:30Based on intelligence information, the Minister of National Defense states:
00:01:34Russia is considering a hybrid attack against the Baltic
00:01:37states, Poland, but has not
00:01:40definitively decided, and Ukrainian
00:01:43drones may be used for this. They may be
00:01:46launched at critical infrastructure in Lithuania or
00:01:49other countries in the region. According to the
00:01:52minister, Lithuania has strengthened the protection of facilities. The Prime Minister
00:01:56says that the level of threats has not drastically changed.
00:02:02"First scenario: a Ukrainian drone flies to a critical
00:02:05object in Lithuania or Latvia, Estonia, Poland, energy
00:02:09infrastructure, hits, but it was not launched by
00:02:12Ukrainians, how to prove that it is the work of Russians, if the drone is
00:02:15Ukrainian, how will NATO react, how will
00:02:18people react. The second and much more dangerous
00:02:21scenario: Russian agents infiltrated the territory of the Baltic states
00:02:24Poland, launch a drone at, say, one of the Wildberry warehouses
00:02:28that has not yet burned down.
00:02:30"Russians record everything and present it as alleged proof, saying that we have repeatedly
00:02:34said that the Baltic territory launches a drone at, say, one of the
00:02:37Wildberry warehouses that have not yet burned down. Russians record
00:02:41everything and present it as alleged proof, saying that we have repeatedly said that
00:02:44the Baltic countries are involved, you become a legitimate target.
00:02:48Both situations are dangerous and very complex politically.
00:02:52The Minister of National Defense says that the available information suggests that Russia
00:02:56is considering this. In the near future, in the nearest
00:02:59day, what..." something concrete will happen, there is no such date
00:03:02a, we are observing Russia's
00:03:05well, planning a, let's say,
00:03:09moment, about what other NATO
00:03:12countries are talking about. The Kremlin hopes that the scenarios
00:03:16would bring it several victories: on the one hand, NATO would be in a difficult
00:03:20situation, how to react when it is difficult to accurately attribute the organization
00:03:23of the attack to Russia. The fourth NATO article was not activated
00:03:27even after a Russian missile made a crater in Poland last
00:03:30week, on the other hand, the Russians would get an opportunity to incite
00:03:34NATO against Ukraine, if there were doubts about the Ukrainians themselves,
00:03:36they are looking for a
00:03:40alternative ways to escalate the situation. One
00:03:43of the moments that is desired to be achieved is also that
00:03:47NATO wavers
00:03:50and reduces support for Ukraine.
00:03:52a, I can assure you
00:03:55that this
00:03:56will definitely not happen.
00:03:59Political scientist Nerijus Maliukevičius says this is a classic tactic dating back to Soviet
00:04:02times, to escalate the situation, retreat, and present
00:04:06it as a concession during negotiations. You created
00:04:09a problem, you created a supposed problem in the Baltic
00:04:12countries, a, you can say that there will probably
00:04:16not be any more such problems, you will not do it again, but
00:04:19then that situation, which you want
00:04:22to fix on the Ukrainian front, then you present
00:04:26it as certain terms of agreement.
00:04:30"The choice for the alliance: the security of the Baltic states or
00:04:34aid to Ukraine, such a dilemma can be
00:04:37real, it will be necessary to choose whether
00:04:40to go down the path of appeasement and try to
00:04:44a calm the Kremlin
00:04:47in some way, or very clearly
00:04:51a well, and with defense capabilities
00:04:55show that such actions are not only
00:04:57unacceptable, but they are well..." potentially punishable, former Minister
00:05:01of National Defense Arvydas Anušauskas says that an attack can be organized
00:05:05not necessarily against critical objects, but against those that
00:05:08would cause a lot of emotions, saying
00:05:10on the other side that Lithuania has unused prevention
00:05:13measures, for example, to start limiting transit for those traveling to
00:05:17Kaliningrad. From Belarus to drive to
00:05:21some Kibartų does not take 24 hours. It is necessary
00:05:24to shorten that time, it is necessary to tighten the framework,
00:05:27to clearly mark those cars that this is transit
00:05:31transport, to shorten it, for example, to three hours, that is enough
00:05:35to cross, but there will certainly not be enough time to meet with
00:05:38anyone, to arrange anything. The Kremlin's concern
00:05:41is growing. the probability of a strike on Kaliningrad,
00:05:45which is proven by the enormous efforts made there recently to strengthen
00:05:48security, the fleet is hidden under nets, they close the port
00:05:52gates so that water drones cannot enter, fighter
00:05:55imitations are painted on the runways, frequencies are constantly jammed,
00:05:58sources claim that Ukrainians are targeting
00:06:01Kaliningrad, but such an operation can be particularly dangerous
00:06:04for Lithuania and Poland. In addition, the Kremlin allegedly does not believe that
00:06:08the Baltic states are not helping Ukraine reach targets. Robertas Kaunos.
00:06:12reiterates: Lithuania does not provide air space
00:06:16or land for attacks.
00:06:20We will talk to the minister very soon, Seimas Speaker Juozas Olikas reassures
00:06:24that there is no need to be intimidated by possible Russian
00:06:27provocations, according to him, Lithuania has enough services
00:06:30and allied information to know how to prepare for
00:06:34preventing possible threats, however, says the Speaker of the Seimas,
00:06:38it is still difficult to predict
00:06:40the aggressor.
00:06:42"all those steps that today are made by, well
00:06:46politicians, the Seimas, the government,
00:06:49by allocating resources for defense, by coordinating their
00:06:52actions with allies, they truly make
00:06:56Lithuania safer than ever, so no need
00:07:00to run anywhere, no need to buy villas anywhere, or otherwise
00:07:03withdraw from Lithuania, here you can actually invest,
00:07:07you can take care of things, and all those steps that
00:07:10are being taken in the field of defense, it seems..." they are truly making
00:07:14more and more difficult
00:07:18to violate, so I think that yes, anything can happen
00:07:21here, you know, with such an aggressor you cannot
00:07:24predict what kind of attempts may be, but it seems that
00:07:28both the Lithuanian army and our allied German
00:07:31army brigade coming, as well as the Americans who are with
00:07:35us, we have prepared
00:07:39to minimize any possible
00:07:43provocations,
00:07:45the full conversation
00:07:48of my colleague Guoda Pečiulytė with Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, watch this
00:07:52evening at nine in Panorama, now I am talking to the Minister
00:07:55of National Defense Robertas Kaunas, good evening,
00:07:58hello, Minister, sources have been modeling possible Russian provocations
00:08:02and the desire to escalate the situation for more than a month, and today we
00:08:05have your official intelligence confirmation that yes,
00:08:09Moscow is moving towards aggression, what has changed?
00:08:12"that it is being discussed loudly,
00:08:15we have probably been discussing it loudly for more than a month
00:08:19and not only us, but also our partners in Poland, the United
00:08:23States of America, in Ukraine,
00:08:25a very clearly and unequivocally states
00:08:29that the aggressor, Russia, a
00:08:32plans actions to, well, check,
00:08:36perhaps, NATO unity, to check
00:08:39our ability to
00:08:42resist Russian intimidation and
00:08:45a probably plans attempts
00:08:49to, shall we say, reduce our support
00:08:52for Ukraine, we are talking about this loudly so that
00:08:55everyone hears, and our citizens in Lithuania, so that
00:08:59they clearly hear that the state is working, capable of
00:09:03hearing and reacting, and equally, so that the aggressor
00:09:06hears that we perfectly see their woven
00:09:09plans, what should the Minister
00:09:13know today? because, for example, the Prime Minister thinks that perhaps society should not be
00:09:16intimidated, society, society truly
00:09:20should not be intimidated or frightened, society must understand that
00:09:24the state is prepared, the state
00:09:27is working, we are strengthening the protection of critical
00:09:30infrastructure, we are taking all other necessary actions
00:09:34so that our citizens are safe, but equally we
00:09:38are honest with our citizens, very clearly stating that
00:09:41yes. the aggressor in the east has
00:09:44its own intentions and its own plans,
00:09:48and you say that you are monitoring the planning, but the exact date is not known, would that
00:09:52date become known if the decision to attack was
00:09:55made? I have no doubt
00:09:59that both Lithuanian intelligence, which works excellently,
00:10:02and all NATO intelligence, which has huge
00:10:06capabilities and resources, will identify
00:10:09such dates when they
00:10:13are made, and we will be able to react even more precisely, for today we
00:10:17are talking about planning, about
00:10:20thinking about how to disrupt, how
00:10:23Russian society. The Kremlin regime
00:10:27would perhaps want to show that it is capable
00:10:29of portraying itself
00:10:32as winners. But last week's incident in Poland,
00:10:36when a Russian missile made a crater and, well, there was no reaction
00:10:40from NATO, raises the question of whether that response
00:10:43is prepared, if, as you say, you have been talking for at least a month,
00:10:46sources have been talking for several months, a, if
00:10:50those Kremlin provocations are planned and if they were
00:10:54implemented. What would Lithuania do, what would
00:10:57NATO do? a, NATO's reaction was there, it's just
00:11:00that not all reactions are public, not all reactions need to be public,
00:11:04and the plans that are prepared, they exist, it's just
00:11:08that, again, let's understand that it's impossible and it would be very irresponsible
00:11:13a both Lithuania
00:11:16and our region, and all of NATO
00:11:20have a clear, clear plan of how to react and what
00:11:24would be a defense is collective,
00:11:27not of one country, so in this regard, preparation is at the highest level,
00:11:31the question of whether that preparation is actually at the highest
00:11:34level, again, let's go back to last week's
00:11:38incident in Poland, because, well, many are asking
00:11:42why then even the fourth article of the alliance was not
00:11:46activated, a for discussions and
00:11:50well, for talking and understanding, it is not always necessary to
00:11:54activate any additional articles, discussions, understanding, and
00:11:57sharing of information takes place a and
00:12:00the reaction a is accepted
00:12:03as it is today, evaluating all a necessary
00:12:07circumstances, so a will
00:12:11the public, who today heard from you that
00:12:15a the exact date is unknown, but
00:12:18such a provocation is being considered, be further informed
00:12:22a, what is happening, at what
00:12:25stage is that Kremlin planning, and
00:12:28what should society do? without
00:12:31a doubt, we treat society honestly, so that
00:12:35Lithuanian citizens feel safe, so that they understand
00:12:38that the state takes care of them, works
00:12:42and does its job. Also, the information that is provided,
00:12:45well, some information that is made public, it is also
00:12:49a signal to the aggressor that both Lithuania and our
00:12:52region are capable of...
00:12:55seeing, capable of hearing, and capable of reacting.
00:12:59Thank you. Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaunas. Thank you for your time
00:13:02this evening.
00:13:05German officials are still investigating how an explosive-laden
00:13:09drone reached the strategically important Leipzig Airport yesterday,
00:13:12where a Ukrainian Antonov aircraft base operates. The Minister of the Interior
00:13:15stated that the incident is being assessed as a hybrid attack
00:13:19scenario. He said that it and the technologies used
00:13:22indicate that the operation may have been carried out by
00:13:26professionals. The media reports that the drone
00:13:30carried about 800 g of military explosives.
00:13:34While the airport was closed, another plane nearby
00:13:37reportedly collided with an unknown object.
00:13:41NATO experts will also participate
00:13:43in the investigation of the incident.
00:13:47It must be said that we must view this as a very serious security
00:13:50incident. In my opinion, we are facing a hybrid attack
00:13:54scenario, which unfolded as follows: last night
00:13:57a drone was spotted near Leipzig Airport,
00:14:01explosives were installed in this drone, this is a new level of threat.
00:14:04In the past, we have encountered drones and the threats they pose,
00:14:08also in a hybrid context, but an explosive-laden
00:14:11drone on airport territory is a new
00:14:13threat scenario.
00:14:16LRT correspondent in Germany, Mindaugas Savickas, emphasized that although this
00:14:19incident differs from previous ones, such as recorded
00:14:22reconnaissance drones, interest in it is slowly
00:14:25fading,
00:14:28such an impression that well, a lot
00:14:31is happening, a big country and
00:14:34well, a big event on the public agenda, but
00:14:38if there is no continuation, it
00:14:42fades gradually, because there is a drought, an exhausted
00:14:46Rhine, there are,
00:14:49there are many other things happening,
00:14:52apart from that... "Well, society has
00:14:56long been experiencing the stress or tension
00:15:00due to a possible confrontation
00:15:03with, well, due to Russia's possible war with
00:15:07Ukraine, and the former German
00:15:10intelligence chief Bruno Kahl has mentioned
00:15:14that the purpose of such sabotage actions,
00:15:17airspace violations,
00:15:19arson, is often not
00:15:23so much to cause physical damage,
00:15:25but the goal is intimidation and
00:15:28an attempt to create tension in society, to pit
00:15:32people against each other, they think
00:15:35that, well, a...
00:15:37a that that people intimidated people well will pressure
00:15:41politicians so that Germany would stop
00:15:45supporting Ukraine and that
00:15:47they would avoid confrontation with Russia, so that
00:15:51threat, that possible war with Russia,
00:15:54well, is constantly reminded, according
00:15:57to the former intelligence chief, with such,
00:16:00such, both psychological operations, and
00:16:04various arsons, sabotage
00:16:08and similar
00:16:09actions.
00:16:12At the strategically important Leipzig Airport, where a drone with
00:16:15explosives was found. After the Russian invasion
00:16:19in 2022, the Ukrainian Antonov
00:16:22aircraft base was established and became one of the most important
00:16:26logistics centers for the warring country in Europe.
00:16:29Legendary heavy-duty An-124
00:16:32transport aircraft are capable of carrying extremely large
00:16:36cargo, therefore they are used by NATO and
00:16:39European Union countries to transport strategic
00:16:42cargo. For this reason, the airport
00:16:45has become a recurring target. Reconnaissance drones
00:16:49are often recorded here, but the most serious attack so
00:16:52far happened in 2024, when
00:16:55a shipment from Lithuania with incendiary
00:16:59devices caught fire in a warehouse of the parcel company DHL.
00:17:02This incident is also linked to
00:17:05Russia.
00:17:11"As Russian drones hunt civilians in the Ukrainian frontline,
00:17:14Ukrainians have dubbed this brutal killing a safari.
00:17:18In Paris, Russians attacked 12 buses this year,
00:17:21so the city is installing bulletproof glass on public
00:17:24transport. This week, images circulated around the world
00:17:28showing a Russian drone attack on a market vendor
00:17:31in Kherson.
00:17:34Anti-drone nets have been installed throughout the Ukrainian frontline,
00:17:38Donbas villages and cities, but now they also cover
00:17:41Zaporizhzhia, which is larger than Vilnius. This is done to control
00:17:45intensifying attacks with small, fast,
00:17:48and extremely precisely controlled FPV
00:17:51drones. How such attacks can end,
00:17:54the whole world saw on Tuesday in a video from
00:17:57Kherson. A Russian drone began to chase
00:18:00a 52-year-old vegetable vendor, Yuriy. Ukrainians
00:18:04have dubbed this cold-blooded killing of civilians by the occupiers
00:18:08a safari. Fortunately, Yuriy survived the Russian attack,
00:18:12although he was
00:18:12injured.
00:18:18He started flying towards me, I started running, showing, look, I have
00:18:22nothing, my wife ran away and shouted, where to run, but where
00:18:25can you run, it's a steppe, there's nowhere to go, to a shelter, to be
00:18:29honest, such a thought didn't even cross my mind, it's scary, of course, it's
00:18:32scary.
00:18:35The closer the city is to the front, the more means the enemy has
00:18:39to attack it. Kherson, from whose center to
00:18:42Russian forces on the other side of the Dnieper is no more than 10
00:18:45km, suffers from drones, and from artillery, and from
00:18:49guided bombs. Zaporizhzhia is further
00:18:52from the front, the city is separated from the grey zone by about
00:18:5530 km, but the residents of Zaporizhzhia
00:18:58have already seen the Russian safari with their
00:19:01own eyes, an enemy drone crashed into a bus that was driving
00:19:04in front.
00:19:07A month ago I was driving home from work and an FPV drone hit
00:19:11a bus that had just passed us, I thought, maybe my
00:19:15guardian angel protected me.
00:19:18The governor of the Zaporizhzhia region says that the purpose of such Russian attacks
00:19:22is to intimidate.
00:19:25The enemy's priority is to cause as much panic
00:19:28as possible, and such Russian efforts are not
00:19:31fruitless. Kateryna, who sells fish and seafood,
00:19:34says that all war years are difficult, but it has
00:19:38never been as bad as it is now in Zaporizhzhia, her business was also affected
00:19:42by the strikes. When the city started launching
00:19:45guided bombs, there was no safety left, every
00:19:48day according to schedule, from 11 to
00:19:5212 and from 16 to 17.
00:19:55Guided bombs fly. And if
00:19:58Zaporizhzhia fights drones by hanging nets,
00:20:02it can do nothing against guided bombs, admits
00:20:05the head of the region.
00:20:43no matter what is written in the constitution, which
00:20:46no one in Russia respects anyway.
00:20:51"Now, Marius Ziedas and other important news
00:20:53briefly.
00:21:01Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė, the first prime minister of restored independent
00:21:04Lithuania and signatory of the March 11th Act, who died last week, was buried
00:21:08in Vilnius's Antakalnis Cemetery. The farewell ceremony at St.
00:21:11John's Church was attended by many relatives and political allies. Members of her
00:21:15government paid their respects by standing guard of honor at the urn. Farewell
00:21:18speeches were given at the Antakalnis Cemetery, then she was honored with a minute of
00:21:22silence and gun salutes. The tricolor flag was presented to her
00:21:26relatives. Today, here,
00:21:29in the Pantheon of Serenity, we remember not
00:21:33political evaluations, but a strong,
00:21:37dynamic, and principled personality,
00:21:41who significantly contributed to the
00:21:44creation of free Lithuania with her
00:21:47work. Her led cabinet
00:21:51of ministers was a cabinet of harmony.
00:21:54In the face of uncertainty and the constant military threat of the Soviet Union,
00:21:58it laid the foundations for the Lithuanian
00:22:00state.
00:22:04The prosecutor's office expanded and reclassified the pre-trial investigation
00:22:07initiated on July 27 regarding illegal border crossing
00:22:10in the Lazdijai district. The media previously reported that after detecting a tunnel being dug
00:22:14under the state border, four border guards set up an ambush. The border guards
00:22:18detained several migrants who emerged from the tunnel. They handcuffed them, but about 20
00:22:22foreigners attacked the officers, who had to flee. At that time, the migrants, including
00:22:25those handcuffed, fled to Belarus.
00:22:29I am convinced that the officers acted according to the situation
00:22:33at the time and all risks. In their regard,
00:22:36I personally do not see any need
00:22:40to initiate an investigation, an official
00:22:43inspection, or otherwise evaluate
00:22:46their actions, a, I am convinced that they acted.
00:22:50Lithuanian
00:22:53officials found almost half a million packs of illegal
00:22:56cigarettes, worth almost two and a half million euros, in a truck
00:22:59that entered from Latvia. This is the largest seizure of illegal cigarettes
00:23:03this year by Lithuanian customs. It is suspected that the tobacco products were manufactured
00:23:07in shadow factories in Latvia, some of them marked with Belarusian excise stamps, some
00:23:11without them. A pre-trial
00:23:12investigation has been launched.
00:23:15The Swedish Supreme Court upheld the decision to hand over to Ukraine
00:23:19this year a cargo ship seized at sea suspected of illegally transporting
00:23:23grain from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The court rejected the ship
00:23:26owners' appeal. The ship was seized in March off the southern coast of Sweden
00:23:30on suspicion of flying a foreign flag, being unfit for operation, and other
00:23:34violations. Ukraine requested the handover of the ship as part of its investigation into war
00:23:37crimes.
00:23:41In July, more than 30 electric passenger cars
00:23:45were registered in Lithuania, one and a half times more than in the same period last year. Their total
00:23:49number in the country.
00:23:52According to the Lithuanian Energy Agency, electric vehicles make up
00:23:553% of the country's total passenger car fleet, half of which
00:23:58are pure electric vehicles.
00:24:02Rasetapienė continues
00:24:04an important hour.
00:24:13FIFA President Gianni Infantino, criticized by his closest associates,
00:24:16will continue to lead the global football organization.
00:24:20"Following the scandal over intentions to open the World Cup
00:24:23to investors, FIFA leaders apologized for such
00:24:26plans, but expressed full support
00:24:29for Infantino. Opponents claim Infantino's career has failed.
00:24:33The World Football Federation needs a new
00:24:36leader. UEFA added that Infantino's apology means
00:24:39nothing, European countries are still prepared to boycott
00:24:43the World Cup.
00:24:46The FIFA President proposed establishing a company to organize the most important football events.
00:24:50This company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, would distribute the four
00:24:52billion dollars received from selling 20% of its shares to FIFA members
00:24:56and increase their funding for several years. When the Swiss's
00:24:59intentions became known, three important continental football confederations
00:25:03rose up, and UEFA threatened a boycott of the World Cup.
00:25:07Infantino's plans were also criticized within FIFA.
00:25:11General Secretary Mattias Grabstrom stated that this
00:25:14was reprehensible. The head of football development, legendary coach Arsene
00:25:17Wenger, distanced himself from Infantino. He learned about his
00:25:20plans only from the media, but yesterday at the meeting, the organization
00:25:24admitted its mistake, and the president was given unanimous
00:25:26support. A FIFA statement said that the World Football
00:25:30Federation would not tolerate any attack or doubts about its
00:25:32transparency. However, the declaration does not convince opponents.
00:25:36Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Infantino made a fatal
00:25:39mistake. The idea that good governance
00:25:43means not disclosing anything important to one's closest advisors,
00:25:46let alone a specific proposal, is disastrous.
00:25:50You lose trust in such person. FIFA has its
00:25:53procedures for making decisions. I no longer trust Mr. Infantino. I will give
00:25:57an example. Carlos Cordeiro is an honest man, whom
00:26:00I have known for more than 30 years.
00:26:03He was Infantino's advisor and had experience in all
00:26:06matters, but he was not consulted,
00:26:09this is not how any business is run, let alone something
00:26:13that requires such global responsibility, like
00:26:15football.
00:26:19The investors of the companies conceived by Infantino are united by the family circle
00:26:22of United States President Donald Trump among those interested in FIFA's
00:26:25commercial rights. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's brother
00:26:28Joshua, a close friend of Infantino. The influence of Trump and the US leader
00:26:31on the Swiss was particularly evident in the organization of this year's
00:26:35World Cup. UEFA called Infantino's plans a non-transparent
00:26:38backroom deal. Europeans were angry because there were no consultations
00:26:41on this matter. FIFA promised to use the money received for football
00:26:45development. WiFi replica, it is not necessary to sell the family silver when
00:26:49there are five billion dollars in the account. Europe also does not forget
00:26:52the non-transparent decisions regarding the right to host the World
00:26:56Cups. Infantino
00:26:58has made many terrible
00:27:02decisions in recent years. He clearly lacks
00:27:05the necessary qualities. He is not the leader that FIFA
00:27:09needs. Either he should resign, or football
00:27:12federations must find a suitable candidate to challenge
00:27:15and defeat him.
00:27:17Portuguese football legend Luis Figo,
00:27:21himself once a candidate for the FIFA presidency, described Infantino's behavior as treacherous,
00:27:24cowardly and selfish. According to Figo, one can write about FIFA's problems
00:27:281000 words, but for the solution, only three are enough.
00:27:32Infantino must go. The FIFA
00:27:35meeting in Morocco highlighted a clear disconnect between the organization's
00:27:38leaders and the confederations that unite it, which hold the actual
00:27:42voting rights. FIFA's
00:27:45opponents, UEFA and the Confederation of North, Central American and
00:27:48Caribbean Association Football, have approximately 90 votes. To remove
00:27:51Infantino, 106 votes would be needed in the ongoing elections.
00:27:54The final decision will be made by Asian countries.
00:27:57The most realistic candidate to become the new FIFA president
00:28:01is the current vice-president Viktor Montalijanis, who has the support of South American
00:28:04and European countries.
00:28:07Well, in the studio, the president of the professional footballers' association, Arūnas Klimavičius.
00:28:10Good evening.
00:28:13Good evening. A number of federations
00:28:17continue to express no confidence in Gianni Infantino. One
00:28:20of them, UEFA. That is composed of big European
00:28:23clubs, but well, despite those
00:28:27demands, Infantino retained confidence, or is
00:28:31it just a formality before next year's elections?
00:28:34I would say that it is a really interesting situation, because maybe two groups are emerging, who want
00:28:38to support and want a different president, which is already good, that there is a discussion, we probably need to start
00:28:42from that, but that support probably
00:28:45could be understood and was foreseen a little earlier, because after all, those smaller
00:28:49countries, which, let's say, support that same Africa, they
00:28:52understand that FIFA's
00:28:56revenues from FIFA are the largest part of the federation's funds.
00:28:59And those countries, which, let's say, also get from other sources, from various
00:29:02European championships or from other championships, South American championships, from broadcasts, they
00:29:06are more independent and we see that in this situation they are sufficiently
00:29:09active. It is very interesting that you mentioned small
00:29:13countries, Lithuania is one such and you say that Infantino, for that
00:29:16support, promises greater funding, so
00:29:20well, considering that small countries usually
00:29:23have less money, that offer seems very
00:29:27alluring, it certainly seems alluring, but... but one needs to look at
00:29:30what portion of the budget FIFA revenues and UEFA revenues constitute in the Lithuanian Football
00:29:33Federation's budget, so FIFA revenues constitute up to 10%, about
00:29:37one and a half million revenues only from 15 of all
00:29:41revenues received per year, while UEFA is 7
00:29:45million, about 7 million, and we see how big that difference
00:29:48is and it is understandable that when European
00:29:52countries certainly, before making any decision, held
00:29:55a meeting and decided to be together, which is certainly logical.
00:29:58And those revenues certainly influence the final decision. So
00:30:03how would you predict how the situation
00:30:07over these upcoming months, for example, might
00:30:10develop further, taking into account the resistance of European countries,
00:30:13Canada, other states.
00:30:17Indeed, the situation for Infantino is perhaps very unexpected, because,
00:30:19let's say, even six months ago all countries of the world expressed support, including
00:30:23Lithuanian federations. At that time, there was no such
00:30:26situation, but now there is really a very
00:30:29great resistance. The methodology, that which, let's say, one hears
00:30:34quite a lot, is somewhat dictatorial, yes, it led to
00:30:37the possibility that the person felt a bit above football, and when
00:30:41such things happen, the situation of European
00:30:45and world football shows that sometimes governments also intervene,
00:30:48and more influential people, and they try to stop
00:30:51that person, even remember the same Super League project, when
00:30:54even the British government clearly let
00:30:57the clubs of Great Britain know that "you
00:31:01better not participate", therefore, when someone
00:31:05gets above football, well, there is that football
00:31:08community that stops them, and this time it was so, but would
00:31:11you say that...