Head of Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Arrives in Ukraine to Discuss Strengthening Defence Capacities
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, arrived in Ukraine on Thursday, January 25, for meetings with Ukrainian officials. This marks Landsbergis's eighth visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, as reported by LRT.
During his visit, the head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov, and other high-ranking officials. Discussions during these meetings will focus on enhancing Ukraine's defence capabilities and the support provided by Lithuania and other Western partners. According to the minister, his visit is aimed at considering "possible scenarios for this year and how we can help avoid some complex scenarios for Ukraine."
Landsbergis emphasized that this year of war will be particularly crucial, as further support from the West can significantly impact Ukraine's fate. "Many experts, including those in Lithuania, believe that 2024 can be and will be extremely important for the course of the war in Ukraine. There are scenarios where Ukraine receives stronger support from the West, and its position in the war strengthens, but more challenging scenarios are also anticipated," stated Landsbergis.
Gabrielius Landsbergis will also participate in the signing of an agreement of understanding between the EU representation in Ukraine and the Lithuanian Central Project Management Agency (CPA) regarding cooperation in implementing a project to construct shelters in Ukrainian schools, funded by the EU.
Previously, Landsbergis expressed the view that Ukraine is currently holding back Russian aggression on its territory, but in the event of its defeat, there must be readiness to answer the question of who will then restrain Russia.
The Gaze reported earlier that Lithuania and Poland are strengthening military cooperation, with a particular focus on defending the strategically important Suwałki Corridor. The two countries plan to conduct joint military exercises in April of this year to practice repelling potential Russian aggression in the region.
The Suwałki Corridor is a 100-kilometer-wide area on the border between Lithuania and Poland, with the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia to the west and Belarus to the east. In the event of a potential war, Russia aims to quickly seize this region to cut off a land route for NATO allies to the Baltic countries.