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On 1 June, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys attended a joint meeting of the Governments of Lithuania and Ukraine.

When addressing members of the Governments of both countries, the Minister underlined that Lithuania is and will remain a strong leader in supporting Ukraine in many areas, from military support to Ukraine’s integration into the European Union, from ensuring responsibility to sanctions, from supporting the restoration of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

"Lithuania and Ukraine are strategic partners, united by a common history, values, strategic goals, and a common understanding of today's security threats. Your country has been struggling against the aggressor Russia for more than a decade, and we are doing our utmost to give it everything it needs to successfully defend itself and achieve a just and lasting peace," said Budrys.

The Minister underlined that Ukraine’s victory remains the main strategic objective – the security not only of Ukraine, but also of Lithuania and the entire European continent depends on the outcome of the war.

"Ukraine's membership in the European Union and NATO is a key security guarantee. Our task is to keep NATO's door open and at the same time to maximize the pace of EU accession negotiations", said the Minister.

According to Budrys, Ukraine's determination and progress in implementing wide-ranging reforms despite the extremely difficult conditions of the war clearly show that its membership in the European Union is achievable by 2030. However, this requires the immediate opening of all six negotiating clusters. Lithuania is making every effort to advance this process as quickly as possible.

The Minister also noted that the change in the Hungarian Government fuels optimism, but that consistent work with all EU countries is necessary in order to avoid new obstacles.

According to Budrys, Lithuania will continue to strengthen Ukraine's position both on the battlefield and in negotiations, while increasing pressure on Russia and Belarus, especially through sanctions, in pursuit of an ambitious 21st package of EU sanctions.

Lithuania will also continue its efforts to strengthen the aggressor's international isolation and prevent attempts to return to "business as usual” with Russia and Belarus.

"Lithuania remains strongly committed to supporting Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and to mobilising international support for these goals," Budrys concluded his speech at the joint meeting of the Lithuanian and Ukrainian Governments.

Photos: Penek