Lithuanian president says Russia's attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure "grave war crimes"

  • 2022-10-31
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS - Russia's attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure on Monday are another proof of serious war crimes, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says.

The president met with visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Vilnius and said the existing sanction policy against Russia and Belarus must continue in response to Russia's latest actions.

"The recent actions by the Kremlin regime aimed at destroying critical civil infrastructure in Ukraine with missile and drone strikes are further evidence of grave war crimes. We must continue military, political and humanitarian support to Ukraine and help it to counter Russia’s barbaric military aggression. We must continue the policy of sanctions against Russia and Belarus and prepare a new package of targeted and effective sanctions. We also have to reinforce defense capabilities in NATO’s eastern flank," the Lithuanian president was quoted as saying in a statement released by the presidential pres service.

The Lithuanian president and the Greek prime minister discussed bilateral relations, cooperation in NATO and the EU, support for Ukraine, protection of the EU's external borders, illegal migration, and the need to resolve energy market issues as soon as possible at the EU level, the statement reads.

The Lithuanian president underlined the need to step up efforts at the EU level to combat Russia’s attempts to rewrite history and impose totalitarian-regime narratives in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine.

Nauseda welcomed Greece’s ambition to become a regional hub for the transport of energy sources, providing alternative supply routes and contributing to strengthening energy security across the European Union.

The Ukrainian army aid earlier the Russian military fired more than 50 rockets at various cities, including the capital Kyiv, on Monday morning. Hundreds of settlements have been left without electricity due to damage to energy facilities, Ukrainian officials reported.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitchko says some 350,000 homes now have no electricity and about 80 percent of consumers in the capital have no water.