Lithuania is preparing for a potential Russian invasion by training its civilian population in military-style survival skills and defense tactics, including the use of drones. The country's Minister of Defense Robertas Kaunas expressed confidence in Lithuania's ability to defend itself despite being close to Russia ally Belarus. At least 2 people were reported killed in Kyiv, Ukraine, which has been under attack from Russia. Lithuania is also embracing new high-tech tools of war, such as sensor networks and drones, to deter a potential invasion.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-08,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both close to President Donald Trump, will visit Moscow on Saturday and then Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on Sunday as part of a bid to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. This trip comes after Trump said that the US has an idea for peace in the conflict, which is now in its fifth year, but he did not provide any details about what this plan would entail. The two envoys are expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has confirmed that he will meet with them on Sunday. This effort to revive peace talks comes after months of stalemate in negotiations, with both sides accusing each other of stalling progress. In a separate development, Trump has said that European countries should repay the US for military aid and munitions previously sent to Ukraine, amid concerns about depleted US stockpiles due to the ongoing war with Russia and the conflict in Iran.
Written for “Trump's Peace Efforts in Ukraine” on 2026-09-08,
grounded in this article and the 70 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 7111 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-08
Russia struck Ukraine's capital Kyiv overnight, bringing an end to a three-day pause in attacks by the two countries on each other's capital cities as President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner
to try and broker a peace deal.
asserted
envoys → strike → deal
The neighboring Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — all NATO members — were watching carefully as the U.S. envoys continued their efforts to resolve the
.But
asserted
envoys → neighbor → the
as they watch and hope for peace, Lithuania and its neighbors have also
that continental Europe's first land war in three generations could spread to their doorsteps.
uncertain
war → watch → doorsteps
CBS News visited an ordinary high school in Vilnius where, in addition to math class, students were learning military-style survival skills.
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students → visit → skills
Along with the rest of their country, they're preparing for the possibility of Russia launching an invasion.
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Russia → prepare → invasion
"Today we're working on survival training, and we're going to learn about weapons later," said Neda, a 15-year-old ninth grader.
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Neda → work → weapons
If there is a crisis, Neda said she would likely put her first-aid knowledge to use and try to become a medic.
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she → be → use
Lithuania, which has a population of less than 3 million, slightly smaller than greater Minneapolis, is also training up adult civilians.
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which → have → civilians
History professor Mindaugas Nefas has been learning weapons skills.
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Nefas → learn → skills
He told CBS News the whole-of-society approach to national readiness sends an important message.
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approach → tell → message
"I think it's a good example, for Russia not to do anything against Lithuania," because it shows not just the military, but all Lithuanians are "preparing to defend our country," he said.
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he → think → country
Taking on board lessons learned in Ukraine, Lithuania's preparations include teaching ordinary people how to use drones — and how to shoot them down.
The nation's small professional military is also embracing the new high-tech tools of war pioneered in Ukraine, including networks of sensors and drones known as the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative that, paired together, are intended to slow any theoretical Russian invasion to a crawl.
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that → take → crawl
But old-school defenses still matter, too, including obstacles meant to stop tanks and command posts buried underground across the tiny nation.
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defenses → matter → nation
Vilnius, Lithuania's capital city, is less than 20 miles from the border with close Russian ally Belarus, which Vladimir Putin's forces used as a launchpad for their ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
But despite that proximity, and
toward , Lithuania's Minister of Defense Robertas Kaunas told CBS News he was confident.
asserted
he → use → News
He said his nation's message to Russia was clear: "We don't fear you.
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We → say → you
We understand who are you, and we don't fear you."
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we → understand → you
The former Soviet Union's occupation of Lithuania only ended when the communist bloc collapsed in 1991, so it is still fresh in the nation's collective memory.
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it → end → memory
"We are not afraid, because we remember our history," said Kaunas.
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Kaunas → remember → history
"We are in our home and we will protect our home."
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we → protect → home
Until very recently, NATO planners were doubtful that Lithuania could be defended at all against a full Russian assault, given its size and location sandwiched between Russian and Russian-allied territory.
uncertain
Lithuania → defend → territory
But the technological innovations of the war in Ukraine — and the resilience of the Ukrainian people — have inspired new hope in the Baltic state.
asserted
innovations → inspire → state
