Prime Minister in Kyiv: Lithuania will always remain a steadfast supporter of Ukraine
As part of the working visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė met with Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal. The Prime Minister emphasised Lithuania’s full support to Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s aggression of war – until its victory and beyond.
‘I am glad to have the opportunity to be in Kyiv again, to have a lively discussion on the importance of backing Ukraine, which is not waning. I can confirm that just as Ukraine’s determination to defend itself remains unwavering, so does Lithuania’s support for the Ukrainian struggle for freedom – in the most meaningful way possible,’ said Prime Minister Šimonytė.
The Heads of Government of Lithuania and Ukraine signed a joint declaration, which, among other points, conveyed strong support for Ukraine’s aspirations towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration and emphasized the imperative to hold Russia accountable for systemic war and other crimes.
Prime Minister Šimonytė highlighted the challenge posed by Russia, stating that Russia cannot outdo Ukraine on the battlefield but tries to test the resolve and patience of the states supporting Ukraine, leveraging geopolitical tensions, conflicts in other regions, and electoral cycles.
The leaders noted that there was a potential threat of Russia’s targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities and civilian infrastructure in the upcoming winter. In response, Lithuania pledged to maintain its support in this sector.
Prime Minister Šimonytė affirmed Lithuania’s commitment to diplomatic efforts, stating that every diplomatic effort will be made to support Ukraine’s aspirations to become a full member of the EU and NATO.
We stand ready to provide all the expert, administrative capacity building and other assistance we can so as to ensure that Ukraine makes the necessary progress in implementing the much-needed reforms to enable it to start EU accession negotiations as soon as possible.
As the Prime Minister added, geopolitical tensions and military conflicts in other regions are a challenge that distract attention from Russia’s aggression, but Lithuania will continue to be Ukraine’s voice in various international formats.
Prime Ministers Šimonytė and Shmyhal discussed Ukraine’s most pressing defence needs, the use of Russian assets frozen and immobilised by sanctions in the West for Ukraine’s reconstruction, and the importance of European solutions in this area.
The two Prime Ministers underlined the need to continue active cooperation between the two countries in both bilateral and multilateral formats.
The text of Prime Ministers’ Joint Statement in Lithuanian and English.