"The new administration doesn't come in until the second part of January. I'm very afraid and concerned about this period not just because of the regions which are close to here but let's hope that Aleppo is not smashed from the ground by then," he told the BBC.

When asked if Lithuania still saw Russia as a threat, the minister answered, "Russia is not a superpower, it's a super problem."

According to the British public broadcaster, Linkevičus warned that there was a danger that Russian President Vladimir Putin "would see the period between now and the inauguration of Donald Trump in January as an opportunity to test the military preparedness and diplomatic determination of the Western alliance".

Trump will be inaugurated as US president on January 20, 2017.