National security is Lithuania’s top foreign policy priority, MFA tells ambassadors

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys on Monday met with the heads of Lithuania’s diplomatic missions, consular offices, and representative offices to discuss key geopolitical issues and emphasised that the main priority of the country’s foreign policy is to ensure national security.

“The most important priority of Lithuania’s foreign policy is to ensure national security. We must maintain NATO’s role as the cornerstone of security in the transatlantic space and increase Europe’s contribution to collective security,” a press release from the Foreign Ministry quoted Budrys as saying.

He also said that the outcome of Russia’s war against Ukraine was of “existential importance” for Lithuania’s security, and therefore mobilising support for Kyiv remained one of Lithuania's foreign policy priorities.

“In order to defend itself and continue to defend the security of all Europe, Ukraine needs air defence capabilities, ammunition, and munitions. Lithuania has been a consistent supporter of Ukraine from the very beginning and is one of the leaders in terms of military assistance. We urge other European countries to provide military assistance to Ukraine to the best of their ability, especially since the prospect of assistance from the United States is currently unclear,” Budrys said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Budrys also advocated for maintaining a “rules-based international order”.

“It is important for Lithuania to ensure that the Russian and Belarusian regimes are held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity so that they are not repeated in the future. The lessons of history have shown us that impunity leads to even greater cruelty and continued aggression. We must stop this and prevent authoritarian regimes from achieving their goals of destroying the rules-based international order,” the minister said.

Participants of the meeting also discussed other foreign policy priorities, including Lithuania's presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2027 and economic diplomacy.