Lithuanian and Polish Prime Ministers prioritize Ukraine support and regional security

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has met with Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland, to discuss regional security, support for Ukraine in its valiant defence against Russian aggression, the bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and Poland, and the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius.

‘Our meeting today takes place on the eve of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations of the 3rd of May. It reminds us of the power of free citizens and nations to come together to strengthen and defend the state when freedom itself is at stake. Today, much stronger and with a large circle of like-minded allies, we face a similar challenge: to help Ukraine, which is defending not only the freedom of its own and that of ours but also democracy and the rules-based world order against Russian aggression. Russia is committed to a long-term confrontation with NATO and we need to further strengthen our regional defence and deterrence capabilities. I trust that through the joint efforts of Lithuania, Poland and the Allies, the important decisions necessary for this will be taken at the Summit in Vilnius,’ said Prime Minister Šimonytė.

The Prime Ministers have agreed that the united and accelerated Western support for Ukraine, in particular with all the necessary weapons, as well as the strategic patience remain essential conditions for achieving victory over the aggressor Russia.

The parties have emphasized the importance of continuing the development and effective enforcement of sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus. Prime Minister Šimonytė has highlighted the significance of coordination among regional countries in order to prevent potential circumvention of these sanctions.

The counterparts have talked about the security situation in the region, the close defence cooperation between their respective countries, and the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank, which holds significance not only for Lithuania and Poland but also for the overall security of the alliance.

Prime Minister Šimonytė has expressed her gratitude to Mr. Morawiecki for the readiness of the Polish authorities to support Lithuania, if needed, in conducting tests for the isolated operation of the country's electricity system. The successful completion of these tests is pivotal in expediting the Baltic synchronization process with the continental European grid.

The reconstruction of Ukraine has also been discussed. As noted in the meeting, both Lithuania, which is already implementing reconstruction projects in Ukraine on a bilateral basis, as well as Poland have expertise and experience in this area and are ready to contribute to multilateral reconstruction initiatives.