Lithuania's Nauseda wins first round of presidential election

Reuters:  Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda appeared on track to secure his second and final term in office after the first round of voting on Sunday, following a campaign focusing on security concerns across the Baltics amid Russia's war against Ukraine.

Nauseda, 59, won 44% of the votes cast, electoral commission data showed, short of the 50% he needed to ensure re-election in the first round.

A run-off will be held on May 26 against Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, 49, in second place with 20% of ballots.

Speaking to reporters after voting ended, Nauseda pledged to keep up pressure on the country's western allies for increased military support for Ukraine.

"Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy already said it all. They don't need our declarations of good will, they are of no use in a fight – they need air defences ... Until they have air defences, Ukraine will stay vulnerable," he said.

Across the region, voters are worried the Baltics, once ruled from Moscow but now members of the NATO military alliance and the European Union, could be the targets of Russian aggression in the future.

Just over half of Lithuanians believe a Russian attack is possible or even very likely, an ELTA/Baltijos Tyrimai poll found. Lithuanian intelligence said in March Russia was on track to strengthen its military capabilities along its border with NATO.

Moscow has regularly dismissed Western suggestions that it might consider an attack on a NATO member as nonsense.