Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius has commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin's New Year's speech, in which he barely spoke about aggression against Ukraine, but promised to "never back down".

"Putin declared on the occasion of the New Year that Russia will not retreat anywhere. And really – s**t ahead, s**t in the past and standing on s**t, so no need to move," Linkevičius wrote on Twitter (X).

Putin declared on the occasion of the New Year that #Russia will not retreat anywhere. And really – shit ahead, shit in the past and standing on shit, so no need to move.

— Linas Linkevicius (@LinkeviciusL) December 31, 2023

It is worth noting that in his four-minute New Year's speech, Putin did not mention Ukraine or Russia’s aggression against it.

The only passing reference to the war came in the passage that caught Linkevičius' attention: "We have repeatedly proved that we are able to solve the most difficult tasks and will never retreat, because there is no force that can divide us, make us forget the memory and faith of our parents, or stop our development."

The day before, the current Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis shared his feeling that the West is on the verge of repeating historical mistakes in the matter of support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and warned against waiting for a "Pearl Harbour effect".

Read more: Some in West like Seeing How Kremlin Is Being Destroyed Slowly, but Price Is Too High for Ukraine