News

On 24 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis attended a ministerial-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on maintaining peace and security in Ukraine. A press conference by the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia preceded the meeting.

“A year ago, we were wrong, doubting whether Ukraine or Kyiv could withstand. Today we must stop doubting whether Ukraine can win this war on the battlefield. With the support of all of us, Russian forces can and must be pushed out of the whole territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. Ukraine’s victory is a necessary prerequisite for lasting peace,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister said. “China’s “peace” plan is based on a dangerous vision of the global order in which a country can have as much sovereignty, territory and security as its larger neighbour allows. It is not a vision of peace,” Landsbergis noted.

The joint statement by the Nordic-Baltic states (NB8) highlights that Russia, with its accomplice Belarus’s help, ignores the international community’s call, the UN Secretary-General and the International Court of Justice to cease hostilities. It continues to seek to forcibly redraw the borders of a neighbouring sovereign state, thus posing a real threat to international peace and security through its actions. Unable to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, Russia continues its brutal human rights violations and terrorizes civilians.

In their statement, the North-Baltic states also stress their full support for international efforts to hold Russian leaders and other responsible individuals accountable for brutal crimes. They also called for further strengthening of the military and additional support to Ukraine, which is exercising its right to self-defence. The NB8 once again called on the international community to responsibly assess Russia’s disinformation, especially on food and energy security issues, aiming to divert attention from Russia’s crimes and justify aggression.