Lithuanian president urges Coalition of the Willing to speed up military aid to Ukraine

VILNIUS - Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Saturday participated in another meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, calling on allies to speed up military assistance for Ukraine.

"Ukraine's armed forces need equipment here and now, including purchases directly from Ukraine's defense industry," Nauseda said in a press release after the virtual summit. "Strengthening Ukraine's military power and ensuring ongoing support are key elements in deterring Russia."

Leaders discussed coordinated efforts to reinforce Ukraine's air, land and naval forces, and to provide continued support for the Ukrainian military as the first line of deterrence.

Nauseda noted that the ceasefire proposal accepted by Ukraine but ignored by Russia has remained on the table since March.

"We must focus on what we can do: strengthen Ukraine's right to self-defense, ensure military support and firmly uphold its territorial integrity. We also say 'no' to disarming Ukraine or forcing it into neutrality, and we must maintain sanctions pressure on Russia until a sustainable peace agreement is reached," the president said.

"Together with the United States and coalition partners, we discussed the need to present a new 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposal. If rejected or violated, strict measures against Russia must follow, including the strengthening of sanctions," he added.

The United States has been urging Russia to accept the 30-day unconditional ceasefire Washington proposed in March. Ukraine has backed the initiative by US President Donald Trump, but Russia has rejected it.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned in an interview published by Bild on Saturday that Russia would face harsher sanctions if it refused the ceasefire demanded by the West.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that arms deliveries from Ukraine's allies must stop for Russia to agree to a ceasefire. Otherwise, he said, a truce would give Ukraine an advantage at a time when "Russian troops are advancing (...) in quite a confident way" on the front.

At the meeting, Nauseda also "underscored the importance of securing active US involvement in implementing security guarantees," according to the press release

"At the same time, he stressed the necessity of European-led security forces," it added.

As previously reported by BNS, the Coalition of the Willing has pledged to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in its fight against Russian aggression, including the possible deployment of military forces. In March, Nauseda said Lithuania would be ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, but only as part of a joint mission with other partners.

The meeting, organized by the United Kingdom, brought together the leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Iceland, Norway, Canada, the Czech Republic, Romania, Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Croatia and Turkey, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.