Other countries shouldn't relax after US OKs Ukraine aid – Lithuanian formin

VILNIUS - Other Western countries should not stop thinking about further assistance to Kyiv, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters in Luxembourg on Monday ahead of an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting after the US House of Representatives approved an aid package for Ukraine.

On Saturday, the US House of Representatives approved a long-awaited aid package for Kyiv, worth 61 billion dollars (57.3 billion euros) to help Ukraine fight Russia's large-scale invasion.

Lithuania's top diplomat believes many Western partners were relieved to receive "good news coming from the United States".

"There can't be no coming down, no stopping of assistance, we have to continue to speak how we are going to assist Ukraine further," Landsbergis said. "We dodged a historic bullet. But, unfortunately, many more bullets are on the way. We can be joyous for a day, but have to be prepared for the battle that comes tomorrow."

Additional assistance to strengthen Ukraine's air defense will be announced soon, Landsbergis said, adding that Lithuania has "specific equipment" that can be used for Ukraine's defense. This assistance is expected to be announced later on Monday.

For his part, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas, who is attending the EU Foreign Affairs Council together with Landsbergis, reiterated that Lithuania "will fill one of the gaps in Ukraine's air defense" and plans to buy air surveillance radars for Ukraine. He said on Friday that Lithuania was considering contributing radars to the German-led air defense coalition for Ukraine.