Strengthening defense must become an investment priority – Lithuanian PM

VILNIUS – As Russia continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, beefing up the defense of Lithuania and Europe as a whole must become an investment priority, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Thursday. 

"Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and the chosen confrontation against the democratic world compel us to make defense strengthening a priority for our investments – not only in our country but in Europe too, and also to help Ukraine win," she said in a press release. 

Simonyte met with Nadia Calvino, president of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Odile Renaud-Basso, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), in Vilnius on Thursday to discuss "the economic development and investment priorities of both Europe and Lithuania, also the support for Ukraine", according to the press release.

In her meeting with Calvino, the prime minister emphasized the strengthening of investment in the European defense industry. 

The meeting with Renaud-Basso "focused on the significance of supporting Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure, which, as the prime minister emphasized, should not be postponed indefinitely despite the ongoing war".