In the meeting with US Congress delegation, Prime Minister stressed the importance of US military presence for the security of the region
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė met with a delegation of members of the United States Congress while on their visit to Lithuania and expressed gratitude for the long-term focus on security in the Baltic region, emphasising Lithuania’s readiness to host permanent US military presence on a bilateral basis and provide the appropriate facilities and infrastructure.
‘We are grateful to the friends of Lithuania, whose presence here in this extraordinary period once again confirms the strategic partnership between the United States and Lithuania,’ said Ingrida Šimonytė.
The Lithuanian Prime Minister noted that Putin’s decree to recognise the two occupied territories of Ukraine as ‘independent’ had violated fundamental principles of international law and had shown that Putin was choosing a cynical and dangerous escalation instead of de-escalation and diplomacy.
Šimonytė emphasised that it was highly important that the West’s response was quick and that it included strong sanctions. For only a strong position, not concessions, can stop the growing appetite of the aggressor.
The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of the West’s unity as well as the political and practical support for Ukraine.
The Lithuanian Prime Minister also noted that the build-up of Russian troops in Belarus without any clear date for withdrawal would fundamentally change the security situation in the region.
The meeting with members of the US Congress also focused on energy security in the region. The Prime Minister expressed Lithuania’s gratitude to the United States for the support in the face of China’s political and economic coercion.
The meeting was attended by Members of the Congress Steve Cohen (Head of Delegation and Co-Chair of Helsinki Commission), Joe Wilson, Robert Aderholt, Richard Hudson, and Sheila Jackson Lee (Members of Helsinki Commission).