According to the Prime Minster, there is no partnership more strategic and more important for Lithuania, for Europe, for the United States and for the future of the whole world than the Transatlantic one, and the future of its security architecture will be shaped by the outcome of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
‘I hope – indeed, I believe – that with our support, it will be shaped by Ukraine’s victory. Because only if – rather, when – Ukraine wins can we have a chance at sustainable peace in Europe and in the world. Appeasement and ‘Russia-first’ policy had been nurturing aggressor’s appetite for quite some time. But Ukraine made the aggressor choke. However, the aggressor is far from defeated. Ukraine is still under attack. Ukrainians are still living under the fear and reality of constant bombardment. Hundreds of Ukrainian towns are still under the Russian occupation’, said the Prime Minister.
Ingrida Šimonytė said she was proud that more than half of Lithuania’s population helped Ukraine in one form or another: by providing accommodation, donating money, volunteering, and even chipping in to buy a famous Bayraktar for the Ukrainian army. Today, Lithuania is among Ukraine’s top donors per capita. The Prime Minister confirmed Lithuania’s readiness to help Ukraine for as long as needed.
‘But we can and we must do more. We must deliver more of heavy weapons and do it even faster. We must maintain our unity and withstand the winter that will be challenging for our people and for our governments – but not nearly as challenging and life-threatening as it is for Ukrainians who fight for their country and for all of us. Finally, when Russia is defeated on the battlefield, we must ensure that all those responsible for this war, for war crimes, and for the genocide of Ukrainians are brought to justice. And when Ukraine wins, we must again unite in helping Ukraine rebuild every inch of their country. And rebuild better. In all these endeavours we will succeed – because we don’t have a luxury not to. But also because our strength is in our values, our unity, our transatlantic bond’, said the Prime Minister.
Previous recipients of the CEPA Transatlantic Leadership Award include NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (2021), for his contribution to strengthening transatlantic security, and United States Senators Rob Portman and Chris Murphy (2020), for their efforts in countering Russia’s hostile actions.
