Speaker of the Seimas: ‘Security in Europe cannot be achieved without engaging Ukraine in decision-making’

Press release, 10 May 2022 

On 10 May 2022, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Ms Kondratiuk, who has arrived in Lithuania at the invitation of the Speaker of the Seimas, is the highest-ranking Ukrainian official to visit Vilnius since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

‘Today, Ukraine stands not only as a defender of the values of the free world and a shield against Russia but also a contributor of ideas about the future of Europe following the war. Clearly, security in Europe cannot be achieved without engaging Ukraine in decision-making. We must therefore support the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine,’ Ms Čmilytė-Nielsen said.

The Speaker of the Seimas underlined that Lithuania would continue to provide the necessary political, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine. ‘Protection of Ukrainian refugees is part of this support. Lithuania has taken in more than 50,000 refugees and is actively and consistently implementing the EU temporary protection mechanism.’

Ms Čmilytė-Nielsen expressed her support for the idea of setting up the Ukraine Solidarity Trust Fund in the EU to mobilise the funds for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and assured that Lithuania was ready to take an active part in the process.

Photo by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas

Today, the Seimas will debate on and adopt a resolution on the genocide of the Ukrainian people and a proposal to establish a special criminal tribunal to investigate the crimes perpetrated by Russia.

Raminta Maselienė, Assistant to Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, tel. + 370 5 239 6016, e-mail: [email protected]