Lithuania sends aid to Ukraine amid unrest

  • 2014-08-19
  • From wire reports, VILNIUS

Lithuania will send field rations and medical supplies to the Ukraine amid unrest in the country, the defense ministry says.

"We primarily aim at demonstrating our solidarity with Ukraine and support by our assistance," Minister of National Defense Juozas Olekas said.

According to the Minister, Ukraine's stability is an important factor of the security of our state, so practical support for the country is necessary too, ELTA reports

The assistance package will include over four thousand field rations and various medical supplies. Around 28 thousand euros will be invested in to the county, the defense ministry added.

The assistance is planned to be transferred to Ukraine within coming weeks by C-27J Spartan of the Lithuanian Air Force.

Lithuanian and Ukrainian military forces are also set to train alongside each other next month. 

"Lithuanian and Ukrainian military will be attending two combined exercises this autumn: Lithuania will send a reconnaissance platoon to US-Ukrainian Exercise Rapid Trident in Lvov on 15-26 September, another combined exercise, Maple Arch, involving military personnel from Canada, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine will be held in Poland on 8-19 September." the defense ministry announced.

Besides one-off support, Lithuania is constantly supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the framework of bilateral cooperation - Ukrainian soldiers are studying at the Division General Stasys Rastikis Lithuanian Armed Forces School, the General Jonas Zemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania and the Baltic Defense College.

Meanwhile, Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite met with the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov on August 18 to discuss the security situation in Ukraine, ELTA reports.

The president voiced strong support for the Ukrainian government's efforts to restore peace and stability in the eastern part of the country.