Speaker of the Seimas following her meeting with the President of Ukraine in Vilnius: ‘Ukraine is a shield of democracy which we must strengthen’

Press release, 10 January 2024

Photo by Ilona Šilenkova, Office of the Seimas

Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, said that it was symbolic that this meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took place on the eve of the 13th of January, which reminded us of Lithuania’s own fight for freedom. She believed Lithuania had been and would continue to be one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, as such a commitment stemmed from our shared history, culture, and the same aspiration for Ukraine to become a full-fledged member of the EU and NATO.

‘I stressed at the meeting that since the onset of the war, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania had consistently demonstrated its solidarity with Ukraine. We have adopted resolutions condemning Russia and calling for tougher sanctions and international prosecutions for war crimes. We have consistently and at all levels urged other countries to follow suit in accelerating Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO’, said Ms Čmilytė-Nielsen. She went on saying that Ukraine’s Euro-integration would be one of the most important topics of her talks with Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, who was due to visit Vilnius in two days’ time.

On the other hand, the Speaker of the Seimas was convinced that more collective efforts would be needed this year as the world’s attention was being diverted and decision-making was being affected by the military conflict in the Middle East, as well as by the political cycles in the US and Europe.

‘It is very encouraging to see the revival of cooperation of the Lithuanian and Ukrainian Parliamentary Assembly and that between the parliamentary friendship groups of the two countries. As we continue to pursue our closer partnership within the Lublin Triangle, we look forward to the next meeting in Kyiv or Poland to discuss joint actions of the Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and Polish Parliaments at this critical period. Lithuania is ready to continue mobilising the international community to ensure that Ukraine receives all the necessary support, including the military one’, said Ms Čmilytė-Nielsen.

Ilona Petrovė, Spokesperson for Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, tel.+370 5 239 6030, mob. +370 698 42071, e-mail: [email protected], www.lrs.lt