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On 21 October, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigitas Mitkus attended the General Affairs Council (GAC) of the European Union (EU) in Luxembourg, which prepared for the 2025 European Council to be held on 23 and 24 October.

According to the Vice-Minister, it is important to ensure that the key priorities are reflected in the European Council's conclusions, specifically, continued support for Ukraine, strengthening security and defence at the EU’s eastern borders and across Europe, countering the instrumentalisation of migration, building resilience to hybrid threats, and ensuring a competitive, resilient, and united European future.

"The European Council needs to clearly anchor the EU's commitments to Ukraine, support for its defence and the EU integration process, as well as maintain continued pressure on Russia. We need to agree on the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine", underlined the Vice-Minister.

Mitkus also drew attention to the need to strengthen the protection of the EU's eastern borders and to ensure adequate funding for security on the eastern flank. "The EU must join efforts to implement the EU’s 2030 Roadmap for Military Readiness and the EU's new initiatives, such as the 'Eastern Flank Guard' and 'Drone Wall’. The implementation of these projects should be at the heart of the European security initiatives," said Mitkus.

During the discussion on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, the Vice-Minister expressed support to the aim of significant increase in size and ambition of the EU budget to strengthen its flexibility and resilience in addressing geopolitical and economic challenges. "The future EU budget must ensure sufficient funding for the protection of the EU's eastern border, defence capabilities, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Cohesion Policy, strategic infrastructure projects, critical infrastructure protection, and resilience. This is a matter of security and competitiveness for our Europe as a whole", said Mitkus.

Ministers also discussed rule of law issues and held the ninth hearing on the rule of law situation in Hungary as part of the Article 7(1) TEU procedure. Lithuania, together with other EU countries, consistently supports the continuation of this process in order to ensure compliance with the rule of law obligations of all EU members. During the discussion, the Finnish representative, speaking on behalf of Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland, stressed that the rule of law demands its consistent application across all policies, from the internal market to foreign policy. Conscious and consistent violations of these principles must have consequences".

During the discussion on the European Democracy Shield initiative that is being prepared by the European Commission, the Vice-Minister Mitkus presented Lithuania's expectations. "The European Democracy Shield must become a real, practical safeguard mechanism against disinformation and information manipulation. It is important to ensure that social networks contribute to building societal resilience and fostering historical awareness," said the Vice-Minister.