Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Lithuania on Thursday. He will take part in the Three Seas Summit and meet with a dozen leaders of Central, Eastern, and Southern European countries.
The state plane carrying the Ukrainian leader landed at Vilnius Airport at around 10:45, BNS reported.
This is Zelensky’s third visit to Lithuania since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“I arrived to Lithuania to participate in the Three Seas Summit and hold talks with the leaders of the partner countries,” Zelensky posted on X.
“The main task for now is to make every effort to strengthen our air defense system, to meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and to consolidate international support so that we can overcome Russian terror,” he added.
Before the summit, the Ukrainian leader will meet with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda to discuss the situation on the frontline, the need for military and financial assistance, Ukraine’s Euro-integration process, and the prospects for NATO membership, the presidential press service said.
Lithuania is among the most vocal supporters of Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO. In terms of the size of the economy, Lithuania is also one of the largest contributors of military assistance to Ukraine.
Summit in Vilnius
The Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Summit is kicking off in Vilnius on Thursday, bringing together the region’s leaders to discuss enhancing cooperation in transport, energy and cybersecurity.
Delegations from 25 countries and 10 heads of state, including the presidents of Poland, Latvia, and Estonia, are expected to come to the Lithuanian capital for the event.
Asta Skaisgirytė, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser, notes that the Three Seas region almost coincides with NATO’s eastern flank, so relevant issues overlap.
“We are talking about better connectivity, transport, energy, and military mobility, about how to improve it and what transport corridors to plan, and about energy resource supply, and diversification,” she told BNS.
“The summit will also address the protection of critical infrastructure because past incidents at sea have revealed that it is not yet adequately safeguarded,” she added.
Nausėda will chair the 3SI plenary session, which is expected to result in a joint declaration by the states’ leaders. The summit will also feature a business forum.
“Energy, transport, and cybersecurity are the key themes running throughout the Three Seas Summit and associated events,” Skaisgirytė noted.
Lithuania currently chairs the Three Seas Initiative, which brings together 13 EU member states bordering the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Seas: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Greece.
The US, Germany and the European Commission are the initiative’s strategic partners, and Japan is expected to join it as a new strategic partner during the summit in Vilnius.
Security for the event is being provided by 400 Lithuanian military personnel, and traffic restrictions are in place in the centre of Vilnius.
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