Allied support to Ukraine will largely determine final war outcome – Lithuanian president

  • 2023-05-30
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS - Allied support to Ukraine will largely determine the final outcome of its war with Russia, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Tuesday after meeting with his visiting German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

"We must remain focused and united until Ukraine achieves the final victory. Allied support for Ukraine is vital and, I believe, will largely determine the final outcome of the war," the Lithuanian leader told a joint press conference.

Russia stepped up air strikes against the Ukrainian capital earlier this month and warned the West not to escalate the conflict after the United States agreed to greenlight the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Nauseda stressed that Germany's role in both supporting Ukraine and ensuring the security of the region "is critical".

"Allied forces are indispensable to ensure Lithuania's security and defense. We need to take into account in particular the fact that the situation in our neighborhood, unfortunately, continues to deteriorate, rather than improve, lately," Nauseda said and thanked Germany for its contribution to regional security of the region.

Germany leads an international battle group of up to 1,500 troops, deployed in Lithuania since 2017.