News

On 12 November, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kęstutis Budrys, paid a working visit to New York and met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres.

During the meeting, Budrys and the UN Secretary-General discussed Russia's war against Ukraine, Belarus's ongoing hybrid attack against Lithuania, and Russia's and Belarus' repeated violations of the EU airspace. The Minister stressed that the perpetrators of hybrid attacks were Russia and Belarus, and the responsibility of the aggressor countries for the ongoing aggression must be inevitable.

"Neighbouring authoritarian regimes pose not only a direct threat to Europe, but also hybrid and cyber challenges. The United Nations must adapt to new security threats and strengthen its instruments to counter them. We must preserve the rules-based international order, respect for international law, the ideas of democracy and freedom," said Budrys.

The Minister underlined the joint responsibility to ensure the respect of the principles of the UN Charter and the importance of supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The head of Lithuania's diplomacy thanked the UN for continued humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and urged the UN to be more active in addressing the issue regarding the return of abducted Ukrainian children, as well as to be more involved in the activities of the Crimea Platform.
Budrys expressed hope that the ongoing reform of the UN would ensure the organization's transparency and effectiveness and allow it to respond adequately to the challenges of today.