Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite said Tuesday the European Union was compromising its values to protect trade ties with Russia, pointing to a French warship agreement with Moscow.

"We see the Mistralisation of European policy," Grybauskaite said, referring to a 1.2 billion euro ($1.6 billion) deal to supply Russia with two French Mistral warships.

Lithuania's president compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Hitler and Stalin in comments on the Ukraine standoff that were published by a German news magazine on Monday.

Asked by Focus weekly if it went too far to liken Putin to Stalin, or to Hitler as former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton reportedly did, Dalia Grybauskaite emphatically said it wasn't.

NATO on Monday launched one of its largest military maneuvers in the Baltic states since tensions spiked with neighboring Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

Around 4,700 troops and 800 military vehicles from 10 countries including Britain, Canada and the United States are participating in the Saber Strike exercises near the Latvian capital Riga.  

Lithuania's "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite won an unprecedented second term Sunday in a presidential runoff held amid widespread apprehension over a resurgent Russia.

Many here who remember Soviet times see the karate black belt -- who is nicknamed for her Thatcher-esque toughness -- as their best choice to steer the country through Europe's worst standoff with Moscow since the Cold War.

Lithuania's incumbent President Dalia Grybauskaite, known as the "Iron Lady", took the lead in a presidential runoff Sunday, outpacing leftist rival Zigmantas Balcytis, partial results showed.

Grybauskaite scored 55.5 percent support against 42.6 for Balcytis with one third of the vote counted amid widespread apprehension in the Baltic state over a resurgent Russia.

Lithuanians began voting Sunday in a presidential runoff with incumbent "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite the frontrunner in this EU and NATO state dominated by security concerns over a resurgent Russia.

Nicknamed for her Thatcheresque-resolve, Grybauskaite is tipped by most analysts to win a second five-year term as many here who remember Soviet times see her as a their best hope amid Europe's worst standoff with Moscow since the Cold War.

Lithuania on Thursday banned the sale of energy drinks to anyone under 18, citing health concerns, and said it hopes others in the European Union will follow suit.

The ban will take effect in November after it was approved by parliament.

Lithuania's incumbent "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite took pole position in a presidential race Sunday marked by her hard line against a resurgent Russia amid the Ukraine crisis, but will face a leftist in round two.

The karate black belt scored 45.8 of the vote compared to 13.7 percent for Social Democrat MEP Zigmantas Balcytis with 97.7 percent of votes counted, official results showed, triggering a final face off on May 25.

Lithuanians began voting Sunday to elect their president, with incumbent "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite an apparent shoo-in as fears in the EU Baltic state soar over a resurgent Russia.

The karate black belt, nicknamed for her Thatcheresque resolve, is poised to win a second term as many here who remember Soviet times see her as a their best hope amid Europe's worst standoff with Moscow since the Cold War.

Four Danish F-16 warplanes landed in Estonia on Wednesday, marking the first time NATO planes will be stationed in the ex-Soviet state and Russian neighbor. 

The aircraft and a supporting team of 60 people arrived at the Amari air base in the west of the Baltic state at a time when NATO is reinforcing its presence in the region to allay concerns triggered by the Ukraine crisis.