Statement by the Republic of Lithuania at the General Assembly on the draft resolution “Eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War”
Statement by the Republic of Lithuania at the General Assembly on the draft resolution “Eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War” on Tuesday, 4 March 2025.
President,
Lithuania aligns with the statement by Poland on behalf of the European Union Member States. I also make a statement in my national capacity.
Today we have adopted the resolution commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the ending of Second World War and paying tribute to all its victims. This is the occasion to recall the suffering and horror that transpired during this war across all continents and hope for the better world after.
Regrettably for Lithuania the war did not end in 1945. The Soviet Union's occupation and totalitarian repression extended until the 1990’s. The Iron Curtain was not just a geopolitical reality – it was a brutal system that denied millions their freedom and suppressed national identities.
Today’s resolution calls upon the States Members to unite their efforts in dealing with challenges and threats to international peace and security, with the United Nations playing a central role, and to make every effort to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State in their international relations.
Yet we cannot ignore the fact that at the same time as tabling this resolution Russia continues its unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine, targeting and destroying peaceful cities, infrastructure and murdering civilians. This is all done in brutal violation of the UN Charter, international law and in pursuit of neocolonial legacy of the Soviet Union that today’s Russia believes to be its own glorious past.
Today Russia instrumentalizes the memory of the Second World War to justify its own crimes – both past and present. Just as communism crushed entire nations under the pretense of liberation, Moscow now falsely claims to fight “neo-Nazism” as it wages a brutal war against Ukraine. The Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns seek to rewrite history and to promote a dangerous narrative of imperial nostalgia.
The people of Lithuania were among the most affected by the war and we will never forget those who brought this war to us, including the secret deal by the Nazis and Soviets signed in Moscow on 23rd of August 1939. This deal, known as the Molotov – Ribbentrop pact, opened way to the disaster by dividing Poland, the Baltic States and Romania between the two aspiring aggressors.
Consequently, for us the war started even before the actual attack. It started with a deal that sought to violate our sovereignty, contrary to international law. It also ended with a breach of international law, when our countries were left under the Soviet Union occupation for another 45 years.
President,
Lithuania firmly believes that we cannot allow selective remembrance to distort the past and to justify aggression. The Soviet occupation, mass killings, tortures and deportations, forced russification, and political repression were crimes against humanity that demand recognition. If we fail to address the full scope of 20th-century totalitarianism, we leave room for its return.
Today, having adopted the resolution commemorating the end of World War 2, we call on all members of international community to remain vigilant in defending the international law, the UN Charter, its principles of equality and sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity, rejecting war and aggression and pursuing peaceful coexistence.
I thank you.
