Vilnius, 10 January 2024
Kartu iki pergalės! Разом до перемоги! Together until the victory!
Lithuania and Ukraine are bound by centuries-long shared history, security threats and challenges the two countries face today, and our common European future within the Euro-Atlantic family.
Our freedom and independence cannot be taken for granted and must be defended and safeguarded every day. Currently, there is no better way to ensure this than through membership of both Lithuania and Ukraine in NATO and the EU.
The Presidents of the two countries underlined the strategic bonds between Lithuania and Ukraine, the intrinsic shared values, and the unwavering commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders of 1991.
In view of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people against the lasting unprovoked, unjustified and extremely brutal Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Presidents underlined that there is no place for any kind of fatigue in the commitment to support Ukraine. President Gitanas Nausėda reiterated that Lithuania will continue standing with Ukraine until its victory.
Ukraine appreciates Lithuania’s joining the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, announced in Vilnius on 12 July 2023, which is a multilateral framework for security commitments and arrangements for Ukraine. The Presidents support launching consultations to establish security commitments and arrangements that would help Ukraine win this war as soon as possible, support its economic stability and reconstruction, resilience, reform agenda and advance its European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
The Presidents agreed to continue working together in ensuring timely, predictable, and long-term military and financial support for Ukraine, including through the Ukraine Facility, the European Peace Facility, and the EU Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine. Lithuania’s overall support to Ukraine exceeds 1 billion EUR and accounts for 1.45% of Lithuania’s GDP. Lithuania will continue providing military support to Ukraine responding to its urgent and long-term needs, including through the Lithuanian-led coalition for demining assistance to Ukraine, weapons and equipment supplies, training, and cooperation of defense industries, including joint ventures, localizing production in Ukraine, and promoting information exchange on respective defense-related research and development efforts. Both countries will step up their efforts in encouraging other allies and international partners to meet the same level of support to Ukraine. Particular attention will continue to be paid to providing Ukraine with modern air defense systems, UAVs, electronic warfare means, as well as long-range artillery and ammunition.
In the face of continued Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians, civilian and critical infrastructure, Lithuania reiterated its readiness to continue providing Ukraine with humanitarian assistance and other support to ensure the resilience of Ukraine’s energy sector through the winter. Last winter, Lithuania was one of the top contributors of electricity generators, transformers and respective spare parts to Ukraine.
Lithuania and Ukraine strongly condemned Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as of the other parts of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. In line with Article 51 of the UN Charter, Ukraine is now exercising its inherent right of self-defense. Significant part of Ukraine’s territory has already been liberated from Russia’s occupation. Lithuania will not rest in mobilizing international support for Ukraine until its entire territory within the internationally recognized borders of 1991, and the people living there, are liberated too. Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions are Ukraine!
The Presidents stressed the importance of safe and viable alternative routes for Ukraine’s exports, including the restoration and securing of the Black Sea corridor and the potential Baltic route following Russia’s malicious withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Lithuania reaffirmed its full support for President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula as the basis for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, and its continued engagement in its implementation, including through participation in the working groups on energy security, accountability, and the withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities. The Presidents support holding a Global Peace Summit in the nearest future.
Ukraine and Lithuania reaffirmed their intentions to step up their cooperation in international fora, including through the International Crimea Platform and others, to increase the isolation of the aggressor Russia and its accomplice Belarus. The Presidents welcomed the most recent cases of Russia’s exclusion from the governing bodies of the ICJ, FAO, UNESCO, OPCW, IMO, and the Danube Commission. Aggressor states shall not find place at the tables of international organizations.
The Presidents agreed to further increase pressure on both Russia and Belarus through sanctions, to seek their full and effective implementation and to prevent their circumvention in close cooperation with partners and allies.
The Presidents agreed that Russia and its leadership must be held fully accountable for waging a war of aggression against Ukraine and for other most serious crimes under international law. The Presidents reaffirmed their support to the ongoing ICC investigations, including against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, and called for further investigations into the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine by Russia and its accomplice Belarus. The Presidents emphasized that the Special International Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine must have a wide international legitimacy and be able to reach and prosecute Russia’s and Belarus’ highest political and military leadership for the crime of aggression. Russian officials, diplomats and other propagandists justifying and encouraging Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia’s terrorist tactics against Ukrainian civilians, civilian and critical infrastructure, and whitewashing genocidal war crimes committed by Russian occupying forces shall not escape accountability either.
Lithuania and Ukraine, together with partners, will continue their intensive work to return all illegally abducted Ukrainian children to Ukraine. Targeting Ukrainian children, deporting them to Russia and erasing their Ukrainian identity is an extremely serious international crime. They also condemned the accomplice role of Belarus in conducting this crime and called for the respective legal measures to be taken against the responsible Belarusian persons and entities.
The Presidents also stressed that the aggressor must pay for the massive damage caused by its war of aggression and underlined the need for rapid tangible progress on the use of frozen/immobilized Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction and other assistance needs. The decision by Lithuania to transfer the proceeds collected and confiscated for sanctions violations to the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine is an important step forward and an example to follow.
Lithuania reiterated its support for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, focusing on schools, kindergartens and energy infrastructure, and reiterated its commitment to continue the support in close coordination with Ukrainian and international partners. Lithuania, which currently holds the presidency of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), highlighted the 3SI role as a beneficial platform for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction with a view to the upcoming 3SI Summit and the Business Forum in Vilnius on 11 April 2024.
Lithuania and Ukraine will intensify their bilateral cooperation on cyber and information security, aiming to deter and counter fight hybrid threats, cyberattacks, propaganda, information manipulation, and disinformation.
Emphasizing the historic significance of the decision of the European Council of 15 December 2023 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, Ukraine and Lithuania reconfirmed their full commitment to the European integration of Ukraine with a view to its membership in the EU. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the importance of launching accession negotiations with Ukraine, notably through the finalization of the screening process without any delay. In this regard, Ukraine and Lithuania are looking forward to the adoption of the negotiating framework not later than March 2024 and convening the Inter-Governmental Conference. Lithuania reaffirmed its readiness to provide Ukraine with all possible assistance for continued reforms and preparation for the forthcoming accession negotiations with the EU.
At the Vilnius NATO Summit of 11-12 July 2023, the Allies fully committed to Ukraine’s future NATO membership. Building on the decisions made in Vilnius, Ukraine and Lithuania will continue their active cooperation to bring Ukraine closer to NATO membership in view of the upcoming Washington DC Summit. The Presidents reiterated that sustainable peace and security in Europe can only be ensured through Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance.
The Presidents stated that Ukraine’s victory is the only path to peace, security and stability in Europe. That is why support for Ukraine should remain a top priority for the EU and NATO which have a shared responsibility to stop Russia’s aggression and hold Russia accountable for war crimes.
Expressing their deep satisfaction with the existing level of bilateral relations at the strategic partnership level, Ukraine and Lithuania will make every effort to further strengthen and deepen them.