Lithuanian officials are considering the possibility of sending Lithuanian troops to Ukraine to train the country’s troops, but support in the form of weapons and ammunition remains the main priority for the time being, Kęstutis Budrys, a presidential adviser, has said.
“We are talking about that possibility, and we are doing this quite openly. There are a lot of nuances about what could happen and under what conditions,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Ammunition is the main instrument that is needed today and that was needed yesterday, but everything is on the table.”
His comment followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statement that the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future is not ruled out.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas also spoke about the possibility of NATO troops going to Ukraine for training purposes earlier on Tuesday. In his words, Lithuania currently has a mandate to pool a training mission for Ukrainians, and Lithuanian troops are training Ukrainians in the UK, Germany, and Lithuania.
There can be “many different models for a training mission”, Budrys pointed out, adding that “different options are constantly being discussed”.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its third year, this issue was discussed at a meeting of European leaders in Paris.
“There is no consensus today to send ground troops, but nothing should be excluded. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war,” Macron said after the meeting.
For his part, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected the idea of European countries and NATO sending troops to Ukraine.
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