News

On 25 November, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigitas Mitkus met with Florian Hahn, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

The meeting focused on bilateral cooperation, the security situation in the region, support to Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, use of Russian frozen assets, prospects for economic cooperation, especially in the defence industry, science and culture.

Mitkus emphasised that close and growing political and economic ties between Lithuania and Germany are based on common values. The Vice-Minister expressed confidence that the upcoming Lithuanian cultural season in Germany and the German cultural season in Lithuania would significantly enrich the relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, Mitkus emphasised that Lithuania highly values Germany's leadership in strengthening the security of our region. Lithuania’s priority is to ensure conditions that meet the highest standards for both Lithuanian and German soldiers who will settle in Lithuania by 2027. Preparations for the German brigade's arrival are on track, and our country's commitment remains firm.

"The increasing cooperation between Lithuania and Germany in the field of defence industry offers excellent prospects for the creation of joint ventures using various financial instruments and German business experience. This interest of German business was affirmed by the significant increase in the number of German business representatives at the second edition of the international defence and security industry conference "German-Baltic Defence Industry Conference 2025", which took place today in Vilnius," said the Vice-Minister.

During the meeting, Mitkus stressed the importance of providing further support to Ukraine, noting the need to find solutions for Ukraine's progress in the accession talks, as Ukraine’s EU membership is an urgent necessity. Ukraine's integration into the European Union is crucial for the security and prosperity of both Ukraine and the European Union as a whole.

The Vice-Minister also stressed the urgent need to adopt the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia targeting Russia's energy and financial sectors, to impose EU sanctions against the Belarusian regime for hybrid attacks in Europe, and stressed the need to adopt pressing decisions on the use of Russian frozen assets for Ukraine's needs. During the meeting, Mitkus also provided a detailed overview of the current situation on the Lithuania–Belarus border.