News

On 21 September, during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly High-level Week in New York, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys participated in an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). The meeting focused primarily on mobilizing support for Ukraine and strengthening international efforts to increase pressure on Russia.

Speaking during the discussion, the Minister emphasised that the EU must act in unity and more actively mobilize global support for Ukraine.

“Together, we must strengthen Ukraine’s position in the world, especially in the Global South. It is important that this support be visible not only in political statements but also when voting at the United Nations on resolutions important to Ukraine,” said Budrys.

Budrys pointed out that it is essential to continue increasing economic pressure on Russia.

“We must mobilize greater international efforts to strengthen sanctions against Russia, introduce new restrictive measures, and combat sanctions evasion more effectively. Europe must be more ambitious in the area of sanctions and demonstrate leadership. While we waste time on discussions rather than decisions, Russia continues to kill civilians and destroy cities in Ukraine,” the Minister said.

The Minister also urged the international community to take more active steps to stop the recruitment of third-country nationals for Russia’s war against Ukraine and to unite efforts to increase diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin.

“We must build the broadest possible global coalition that would clearly demonstrate that Russia’s aggression cannot be tolerated. It is essential to increase pressure on Russia by all possible means so that it is forced to come to the negotiating table and end its war of aggression against Ukraine,” emphasized Budrys.