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On 16 July, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kęstutis Budrys, together with the Foreign Ministers of Poland and Ukraine, participated in the Lublin Triangle meeting. This year marks the 5th anniversary of the format.

At the meeting, Minister Budrys emphasized that cooperation between the three countries is especially important today as Europe faces an existential threat to its security.

"When the enemy tries to divide us, we must be more united than ever. Today, just as in centuries past, our countries stand in defence of Western values against the threat from the East," the Minister said.

The Minister said that the Lublin Triangle is a symbol of the unity of the three countries, their strength, and readiness jointly overcome regional challenges, as well as a forge of ideas, where common solutions are sought after.

The ministers of Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine discussed opportunities for cooperation by learning from Ukraine's experience on the battlefield and jointly developing the cutting-edge defence technologies. They also discussed the possibility of expanding cooperation in combating disinformation and propaganda, in the areas of civil defence, cybersecurity, and historical memory.

"Peace in Ukraine remains our most important task. We must stop Russia's aggression once and for all. Putin only understands the language of force, so let's speak that language. Europe must make the necessary decisions - a tough 18th package of sanctions and, together with the U.S., pressure Russia to come to the negotiating table.  Indeed, we must leave the Kremlin no other option. As long as Europe's actions are dominated by doubt, the aggressor continues to destroy Ukrainian cities and kill civilians. This cannot go on", the Minister said.

According to the Minister, increased military, financial, humanitarian, and political support to Ukraine is necessary.

"We need to help Ukraine not just to endure, but to defeat the aggressor. The security of our region and Europe as a whole is at stake. Lithuania's military support to Ukraine will reach one billion euros by the end of this year, but this is only a drop in the ocean of what is needed for Ukraine's defence today," said Budrys.

The head of Lithuania's diplomacy stressed that it was important to maintain political support for Ukraine's membership in the European Union and to make an effort to accelerate the integration process. According to the Minister, Ukraine's NATO membership must also remain on the table as the most reliable security guarantee.

The next meeting of the Lublin Triangle foreign ministers will take place in Lithuania.