Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has called on the EU and the US to further tighten the sanctions against Russia after a missile attack in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih that killed two dozen people, including nine children.
The president made the remarks after signing the book of condolences at the Embassy of Ukraine in Vilnius.
“Despite the efforts of the president of the United States of America, war crimes continue on the territory of Ukraine, and it is particularly painful to see innocent children suffer and their lives cut short by the brutal hand of the aggressor when they had their whole lives ahead of them,” Nausėda told reporters.
“The international community will continue to put every effort to hold Russia accountable for what it has done in Ukraine, so that the pressure on Russia is not weakened, but, on the contrary, that we continue to tighten that belt around the Russian economy,” he said, adding that this is the position of the European Union.
“If this or that country sometimes drifts a little bit, it does not mean that we do not have a united and very clear values-based position towards Russia,” Nausėda insisted.
The Lithuanian president said that a ceasefire in Ukraine must be pursued, but it must not be done “with humility or with an outstretched hand”.
“Ukraine has its own demands, Ukraine has its own principles, and they cannot be ignored. This is our position and we will continue to represent it consistently,” the president said.
In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, while ceasefire talks continue between Ukraine, the US and Russia.
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