Lithuanian president: military assistance for Ukraine as important as political support

VILNIUS – Military assistance is as important for Ukraine as political support for its aspiration to be granted the status of a European Union (EU) candidate country, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said during a telephone call with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday.

“Military assistance to Ukraine is as important as political support. The Ukrainian people, defending European values with their blood, must know that the door to Europe is open to them. We all agree that Ukraine’s place is at the EU's table, and this must be reflected in the future decisions of the European Council,” the Lithuanian leader said.

He stressed that since Ukraine had already submitted a completed questionnaire on EU membership, it was necessary to speed up the formal procedures for granting a candidate status.

Nauseda and the prime minister of Croatia also discussed the course of Russia’s war against Ukraine. They stressed that with the launch of Russia’s large-scale offensive in the Donbas region, Ukraine was in urgent need of military support.

According to the Lithuanian president, military assistance should be accelerated as it could determine the further course of the war and, eventually, Ukraine's victory over the aggressor.

Nauseda and Plenković also discussed humanitarian aid to Ukraine and assistance to its citizens fleeing the war. The Lithuanian president stated that Lithuania was currently hosting around 47,000 refugees from Ukraine.