Lithuania will never recognize Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian regions – parlt speaker

VILNIUS – The Russian State Duma's decisions on the annexed territories of Ukraine will never be recognized, nor will the sham referendums, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, the speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, said on Monday. 

"Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were, are and will be Ukraine's regions. The actions of the Russian Federation are a clear violation of all international treaties and laws, the UN Charter and the Constitution of Ukraine," the parliament's press office quoted Cmilyte-Nielsen as saying during Monday's meeting with Petro Beshta, Kyiv's ambassador in Vilnius. 

"Lithuania supports and will support the integrity of Ukraine's territory and the inviolability of its borders, as enshrined in its Constitution and recognized internationally," she said.  

The speaker noted that Vilnius' position was set out in a resolution passed by the Lithuanian parliament on September 15, according to the press release. 

At Monday's meeting, Cmilyte-Nielsen also expressed her clear support for Ukraine's NATO membership aspirations.

"No amount of Russian desperation and threats will change the decisions of the European Union and NATO," she said. "No decrees and decisions by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or the Duma under his control will prevent us from seeking Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO as soon as possible."

In the sham referendums held in September, the four occupied regions of Ukraine reportedly voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining Russia. The Kremlin incorporated the territories into Russia last Friday. 

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO.