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The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kęstutis Budrys, is on a working visit to the Czech Republic. On Monday, 19 May,  in Prague, the Minister met with the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský.

The meeting of the Lithuanian and Czech Ministers addressed support for Ukraine, European security and defence, and preparations for the NATO summit in The Hague.

"The European efforts to strengthen Ukraine's position are vital. We must do everything we can to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which will also mean peace in Europe. Our political support for Ukraine’s integration into the EU and NATO must also remain strong, as the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration would be the best security guarantee for both Ukraine and Europe,” the Minister said.

According to the Minister, Lithuania supports the Czech Munitions Initiative, which has increased the number of artillery shells supplied for Ukraine. According to Budrys, this year alone Lithuania contributed 33 million euros to the initiative, and the total contribution of our country already reaches almost 70 million euros. Budrys expressed strong support for the Czech initiative to restrict the free movement of Russian diplomats in the Schengen area at the EU level as a necessary measure to prevent Russia's malign activities in our countries.

Budrys stressed that several months of diplomatic efforts to bring Russia to the negotiating table have shown that force is the only language Putin understands and that there is a need to increase pressure. According to the Minister, Europe needs to agree as soon as possible on the 18th sanctions package against Russia targeting the energy sector, because it is through it that the aggressor's economy can be most effectively impacted. Budrys also highlighted the provocative activities of the Russian shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea and noted that it is important to expand sanctions against the aggressor's shadow fleet, as well as to continue the NATO Baltic Sentry mission.

The Lithuanian and Czech Ministers also discussed bilateral cooperation. Budrys said that Lithuania and the Czech Republic had the potential to cooperate more actively in the field of defence, such as on dual-use technologies, cyber security, and production of military equipment.

Photos: The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs