The President underlined that defense and security cooperation between Lithuania and Poland was a key to the security of the entire region. According to Gitanas Nausėda, consistent increase in the defense spending by Lithuania and Poland, as well as coordinated work with NATO allies and in other formats contribute significantly to enhancing the security of the entire region.
The Lithuanian leader pointed out that the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Madrid had strengthened NATO’s deterrence and defense posture, however, implementing the principle of forward defense on the Alliance’s eastern flank as soon as possible was essential. Gitanas Nausėda expressed the hope that the NATO Summit in Vilnius would deliver ambitious results that would further strengthen NATO’s presence in this region, and underlined the need for tangible progress in the areas of air defense, forward deployment and capacity building.
“Lithuania and Poland are trusted partners and allies. We value our excellent bilateral relations, which are of great importance to Lithuania. In the face of threats, we are united and speak with one voice on key issues. This is our strength. By being united and working together, we can face any threat,” the President spoke.
Lithuanian and Polish leaders also discussed support for Ukraine. Gitanas Nausėda stressed that Lithuania was providing all possible assistance to Ukraine and planned to continue doing so. According to the Lithuanian President, helping Ukraine to win the war remains one of Lithuania’s main priorities, but it is necessary to keep this issue on top of the agendas of both the EU and NATO. The two leaders agreed on the need to continue to actively support Moldova’s Euro-integration efforts and to help it by all means to resist Russia’s energy blackmail.
The Council of Presidents of Lithuania and Poland is held for the second time. The first Council took place in Vilnius in 2021.
