Contents tagged with Lithuania
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Lithuanian Ambassador in Kiev: Cooperation between Ukraine and NATO continues to increase
Marius Janukonis, Lithuania's Ambassador to Ukraine, stated in an interview with Apostrof that recently, the level of cooperation between NATO and Ukraine has increased significantly. The country appears certain of counting on the Alliance’s support in modernizing its defense system.
"There are more events, more Ukrainian servicemen engaged in military exercises at NATO standards, more servicemen involved in joint exercises,” a diplomat described.
“A serious reform of the Ukrainian Defense …
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Lithuania and Romania demand that NATO’s presence be strengthened for protection against Russia
Lithuania and Romania are seeking opportunities to strengthen security and increase deterrents against aggression. The President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, and the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, demand an increased presence of NATO in their countries. The heads of both countries stated this during a joint press conference in Vilnius during President Iohannis’s visit to Lithuania, Deutsche Welle reported.
“We understand the ongoing situation in Romania in the Black Sea that arose …
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Lithuania to increase defense budget
According to an estimate of the Ministry of Finance, Lithuania intends to increase defense spending by 150 million euros next year, up to 725 million euros, Kauno Diena reported.
The current Lithuanian military budget is 575 million euros, approximately 1.48% of the country’s GDP. It is expected that next year's defense spending will rise to 725 million euros, or 1.77% of GDP.
According to Lithuanian Minister of Defense Juozas Olekas, the country plans to spend 2% of GDP on defense in 2018. …
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Polish, Czech, Slovak, and Lithuanian delegations will not attend Victory Day parade in Moscow
Polish Minister of National Defense Antoni Macierewicz said that the Polish delegation will not take part in the celebration of Victory Day, which will be held on May 9 in Moscow. According to the newspaper Gazeta Polska Codziennie, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania have also decided not to attend.
"All the celebrations associated with Victory Day will take place in Poland," the Polish Ministry of Defense announced.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense of Slovakia, in a …
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New US military contingent begins its work in Lithuania
New U.S. troops stationed in Rukla, Lithuania have begun their work, as reported by delfi.lt.
According to the news portal, the contingent consists of about 260 servicemen. The American troops will continue exercises through the end of June in Lithuania. U.S. ground troops in Lithuania and other Baltic States have been revolving since the spring of 2014.
Other allies have sent troops to Lithuania on an irregular basis; however the decision on whether to deploy a regular battalion consisting …
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Linkevičius tells Lavrov not to create enemies
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius urged his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, not to create enemies, Delfi.it reported. His comment was made in response to Lavrov’s statement that Lithuania "is the most Russophobic country in the Baltic."
"I would recommend that my colleague Lavrov not create enemies, as is already the tradition," he noted.
"We respect Russian culture, we have a number of activities for which there come intellectuals, journalists, writers, and political …
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Ukraine and Lithuania to sign memorandum on military cooperation
According to a report by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine and Lithuania will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of a joint military training exercise for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
As it was noted in the statement, the agreement will be signed on the 18th of April during a meeting between the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Stepan Poltorak, and the Lithuanian Minister of National Defense, Juozas Olekas.
“Following the talks, the parties are planning to sign a …
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Lithuania announces implementation of Savchenko sanctions list
Lithuania is the first country in the European Union that barred individuals related to the conviction of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko from entering its territory. This information was confirmed by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius.
“Specifically, it concerns Russian judges and prosecutors who directly participated in the trials. At the moment, 46 people are prohibited from entering Lithuania,” Linkevičius told BNS, adding that the list is expanding. Besides the “Savchenko list” …
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John McCain: The US will never recognize the annexation of the Crimea
US Senator John McCain said the United States will continue to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine and Crimea as part of it. He said this in a video which was broadcasted in the Seimas of Lithuania on the occasion of the World Congress of the Crimean Tatars.
This was reported by the press service of the Presidential Commissioner on the Crimean Tatar Affairs, Mustafa Dzhemilev, on April 11th.
"I wish I was able to be there with you today and express gratitude for the efforts on …
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Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas: The annexation of Crimea violated the peaceful life of the Crimean Tatars
After the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula, "peaceful life of the Crimean Tatars in their homeland has been violated," the Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, Loreta Graužinienė, said during the meeting of the Coordination Council of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars, which started on April 11 in Vilnius (Lithuania), Krym.Realii reported, with reference to the press service of the Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on the Crimean Tatar Affairs, Mustafa Dzhemilev.
According to …