"If our country is attacked, we will fight [...] we will get engaged", Mindaugas Sinkevičius told the BBC's Newsnight in an interview broadcast Monday.
Sinkevičius said Lithuania was drawing up plans to move elderly residents out of cities quickly if needed. He said the government was weighing "various scenarios", many of which are not discussed publicly.
He added that Lithuanians and other Baltic populations live under constant strain from Russia, including repeated airspace violations by drones.
"We face specific threats, not every day, but we experience them and they are a real reality for us", he said.
The remarks came a week after a drone entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, a close Russian ally. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed the aircraft's origin to the BBC.
Lithuanian and Italian forces, operating under NATO, shot the drone down, marking the first such interception over Lithuanian soil. Kaunas said on social media the drone was carrying an explosive charge that was later defused by bomb disposal teams.
Moscow has not commented on the incident.
Drone incursions into European airspace have grown more frequent since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
(jh)
Source: PAP