Lithuanian officials expressed strong support for Ukraine after an argument between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, BNS reported. “Ukraine, you will never walk alone,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated, while Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas reassured Ukraine of Lithuania’s friendship. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys stressed that Europe’s…
The free world needs a new leader, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Estonia’s former prime minister Kaja Kallas, stated, ERR reports. Reacting to an acrimonious public exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in the White House on 28 February 2025, Kallas said that it was now up to Europeans to…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda expressed scepticism about attempts to end the war in Ukraine with a “quick agreement,” BNS reported. Speaking after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Nauseda said that he did not believe that a quick ceasefire would lead to sustainable peace. Instead, it could amount to a “moral defeat” for…
Lithuania is “not taking either side” in the dispute over Greenland’s sovereignty, Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys stated, BNS reports. Earlier, US President Donald Trump threatened to take control of the island by force. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark. Budrys noted that Lithuania, Denmark, and the US were “all allies, bound by both long-standing…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics plans to propose lowering the threshold for holding public referendums on legislative changes, LSM reports. Rinkevics discussed the issue with Prime Minister Evika Silina and leaders of parliamentary groups, LETA reported. He will invite constitutional experts to join the discussions. Edmunds Jurevics, leader of New Unity’s parliamentary group, and Harijs Rokpelnis,…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda does not expect the country’s three-party coalition government to survive, BNS reports. Earlier, Remigijus Zemaitaitis, chairman of the far-right Dawn of Nemunas party, expressed doubts about raising defence spending and labelled Ukraine a corrupt country, LRT reported. Speaking in an interview with Verslo Zinios, Nauseda accused Zemaitaitis of discrediting “not only…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda’s chief foreign policy adviser, Asta Skaisgiryte, urged against making “hasty steps” in withdrawing from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Skaisgiryte called for a regional solution on the issue. She supported a collective withdrawal from the treaty by NATO’s eastern flank or…
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys called for a “strong and decisive” response to attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, BNS reports. Speaking during a meeting with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga, Budrys urged to expand NATO patrols, impose sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet, and revise navigation rules in the Baltic Sea. Meanwhile,…
Latvia will have to raise its defence budget to at least 4% of GDP in the coming years, President Edgars Rinkevics stated, LSM reports. Speaking after a meeting with Prime Minister Evika Silina, Rinkevics insisted that the current defence spending of 3.45% of GDP was not enough. He noted that Latvia had “a rather serious problem”…