Lithuania’s Foreign Minister congratulated the Ambassador Volker on his appointment as the U.S. Special Representative and noted that Lithuania appreciated the growing attention and support of the U.S. for the region and for Ukraine:
“The U.S. decision to appoint the experienced diplomat who knows the region well as the U.S. Special Representative testifies to the fact that the U.S. is interested in strengthening its role in Ukraine and in the region, when seeking a concrete solution to the situation,” said Linkevičius.
According to Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, the international community must step up its effort and encourage Russia to implement commitments that it took upon itself several years ago, to withdraw weapons from eastern Ukraine, and to stop supporting separatist forces. “I often visit Ukraine, including the war-torn eastern Ukraine, so I constantly call on partners to take action immediately in order to restore peace and security,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.
The Special Representative stressed that Lithuania’s role in conflict resolution processes in Ukraine was well-known and highly appreciated: “The U.S. welcomes Lithuania’s principled position on peace in Ukraine. We monitor the situation in Ukraine and, just like Lithuania, we constantly and actively call for the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” stressed Volker.
On 21 August in Minsk, Volker met with the representative of the Russian Government Vladislav Surkov. On 23 August in Kyiv, Volker will join the delegation led by the United States Secretary of Defence James Mattis.
