Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda spoke by phone with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, reaffirming his country's support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
“I expressed Lithuania’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. A just, sustainable peace requires Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire and to redress damages,” Nausėda posted on social media X following the conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart.
The Lithuanian president also said his country welcomed Ukraine’s progress towards EU integration and would continue to back Kyiv’s goal of joining the bloc by 2030.
The statement came ahead of the Washington–Moscow summit in Alaska, amid concerns in Kyiv that Donald Trump might strike a deal with Vladimir Putin which would force Ukraine to cede part of its territory to Russia.
Friday’s meeting will be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since 2021, and the talks are, for now, scheduled without Zelensky’s participation.
Over the weekend, European leaders issued statements calling for the negotiations to include Ukraine and the EU, to be held only in the context of a ceasefire, and to rule out any loss of Ukrainian territory.
According to European officials, any exchange of territory should be a decision for Ukraine itself, not a precondition for a ceasefire.
During their call, Nausėda assured Zelensky that Lithuania stood by the European position.
He stressed that the first step towards ending the large-scale military conflict, now in its fourth year, must be an unconditional ceasefire – one that the aggressor, Russia, must respect.
Moscow, he noted, had repeatedly shown an unwillingness to seek peace and continued its brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets.
“Lithuania remains committed to further strengthening international sanctions against Russia, ensuring the enforcement of existing measures, and safeguarding Ukrainian civilians – including abducted children and prisoners of war,” the statement read.
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