News

Today, on 29 August, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, is attending an informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers in Brussels to discuss Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, will inform the foreign ministers about the situation on the front.

Ahead of the meeting, the head of Lithuania’s diplomacy told journalists:

“In every missile attacking Ukraine, there is a significant share of European money earned by Russia from the ongoing sale of oil, gas and other goods.”

The Foreign Minister also invited Italian, French, and other European companies to visit Lithuania and learn about the country’s defence industry.

“The time has come for Europe to grow muscle. Europe’s defence industry is strong. Lithuania also can participate in the European defence industrial chain,” said Landsbergis.

Foreign Ministers will discuss the next steps following the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, which was held in Switzerland on 15-16 June. They will also discuss the EU’s military support for Ukraine and preparations for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly High-level Week to mobilize global partners’ support for Ukraine.

For the Foreign Minister’s complete statement, please click here: https://newsroom.consilium.europa.eu/events/20240829-informal-meeting-of-foreign-affairs-ministers-august-2024/145779-arrival-and-doorstep-en-landsbergis-20240829

An informal meeting of EU foreign ministers (Gymnich) has traditionally been organized every six months in the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

This year, the meeting had to take place in Budapest, the capital of the current Hungarian presidency. However, following the outrageous visits by Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Moscow and Beijing in July, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, decided that an informal meeting of foreign ministers would take place in Brussels.