Contents tagged with Lithuania

  • Lithuania pledges air defense enhancements for Ukraine, plans €10 million investment in missile drones

    Lithuania is exploring avenues to purchase short-range air defense systems for Ukraine and is considering investments in the production of Ukrainian made "Palyanytsia" missile drones, as stated by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on September 12.

    In his address, Nausėda expressed optimism: “We are evaluating the possibility of acquiring short-range surface-to-air missile systems (SAM systems). I hope that …

  • Lithuania calls on NATO to shoot down Russian drones in Baltic airspace

    Lithuania has provided a definitive answer to the question of whether NATO forces should shoot down Russian UAVs over the Baltic States.

    Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas is convinced that the Alliance needs to down Russian drones that encroach on EU territories.

    NATO's air surveillance mission algorithm over the Baltic countries should be altered: Russian drones entering the airspaces of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia must be shot down, said Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas …

  • Lithuania announces major military aid package for Ukraine: air defense systems, drones, and more

    Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has announced a new military aid package, including air defense systems and other equipment, set to arrive in Ukraine by early September.

    Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish President Andrzej Duda, Šimonytė reiterated Lithuania's unwavering stance on the conflict: Ukraine must win, Russia must lose.

    "During our meeting today, I informed President Zelensky that Lithuania's latest military …

  • Lithuania reports significant withdrawal of Russian troops from Kaliningrad amid Ukrainian offensive in Kursk region

    Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras has reported a significant reduction of Russian ground forces in the Kaliningrad region, Delfi reports.

    Commander Vaikšnoras noted that this reduction is likely connected to the Ukrainian military's gains in the Kursk region of Russia. “As soon as the war in Ukraine began, equipment and personnel were massively relocated from Kaliningrad. After a rotation, the Russians returned, but now it’s noticeable—there is a substantial decrease in, …

  • Russia unilaterally redraws Baltic Sea borders with Finland and Lithuania

    Moscow Times, citing a draft government decree published on the legal acts portal, has reported Russia's decision to unilaterally alter its maritime boundaries with Lithuania and Finland in the Baltic Sea.

    The Russian Defence Ministry has prepared a document declaring parts of the eastern Gulf of Finland and areas near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region as Russia's internal maritime waters.

    This will involve changing the geographical coordinates of points used …

  • Lithuanian Foreign Minister urges EU to find creative solutions to support Ukraine

    Ahead of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called on allies to devise a creative solution to support Ukraine.

    "Although I am heading to another Council meeting today, I do not believe it should be business as usual. We have to recognize that there is nothing normal about the situation Europe finds itself in, and if we fail to acknowledge this fact, we may end up in even worse circumstances, with the most immediate concerns …

  • Ukraine to move part of its drone production to Lithuania

    Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius has announced that Ukraine intends to relocate some of its drone production to Lithuania.

    Linkevičius said that warfare is evolving, and Lithuania could learn from Ukrainians who have been defending against Russian aggression for nearly two years. "It seems that the Ukrainians are interested in potentially transferring some manufacturing to Lithuania. With our help, and perhaps partly for ourselves, we could provide them with the necessary drones …

  • Lithuania's Foreign Minister: Russia is using Hamas-Israel conflict to ramp up its Ukraine offensive

    Russia was waiting for Hamas to attack Israel in order to resume its offensive in Ukraine, said Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis, as reported by Ukrinform.

    "We cannot forget or divert our attention from Ukraine, where the situation is not the easiest. We have seen that Russia has resumed its offensive. This reminded us that Russia is expecting a situation like this where we can be distracted and reduce our focus on these attacks. My main hope is that we can send a …

  • Estonian Prime Minister proposes joint trade embargo against Russia, calls for support from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland

    Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has made a proposal following a scandal surrounding her husband's business ties with Russia. She called on the neighbouring countries to introduce a unified trade embargo against Russia. According to Kallas, Finland could play a key role in this matter.

    Kallas said she had not spoken  with Finland's new Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, yet but promised to do so.

    Estonian broadcaster ERR highlights that daily exports from Estonia to Russia include electronics, …

  • Lithuania recognizes Russian PMC Wagner as a terrorist organization

    The Seimas of Lithuania unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the Russian Wagner Group as a terrorist organization. 117 MPs voted in favor of the resolution, according to the website of the Lithuanian parliament.

    "The private military company Wagner of the Russian Federation is a terrorist organization, and its mercenaries pose a threat to the security of the state and society," the document reads.

    The Seimas strongly condemned the use of any mercenary groups, such as Wagner, created …