The Prime Ministers discussed support for Ukraine, the strengthening and implementation of sanctions against Russia and Belarus, relevant items on the EU agenda, preparations for the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, as well as the bilateral relations between Lithuania and Poland.
‘Russia’s objectives remain unchanged – the obliteration of Ukraine's independence and identity, undermining democracy, and substituting the rules-based world order with power politics, thus posing a grave threat to the entire free world. Hence, supporting Ukraine today, urgently and with all that is necessary for its victory, is the best thing we can do for the Ukrainians who suffer daily terror and for our own security’, said Prime Minister Šimonytė.
As noted at the meeting, Lithuania and Poland see eye-to-eye on threats, as both countries are aware that Russia will remain a long-term military threat, which is evident not only from its aggressive rhetoric, but also from its aim to rebuild the capabilities lost in Ukraine and the orientation of the country’s economy towards military objectives.
In this context, as Ms Šimonytė pointed out that Poland’s leadership in strengthening its defence is an important example for allies to follow. Reinforced defence, together with support for Ukraine, is the best investment in the security of NATO as a whole. The Alliance’s defence must not be weakened, and Lithuania, for its part, has been increasing its defence budget in recent years and will continue to build its national defence, the Lithuanian Prime Minister added.
Lithuania highly values Poland’s contributions to regional security, bilateral defence cooperation, and is eager to further enhance these ties, Prime Minister Šimonytė emphasized.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister stressed the need to sustain and intensify pressure through sanctions on Russia and its ally Belarus, while also striving for more effective implementation of the existing sanctions.
While current efforts are focused on security, Prime Minister Šimonytė also recognized the increasingly strong bilateral cooperation spanning from infrastructure to cultural exchanges.
Ingrida Šimonytė thanked Donald Tusk for excellent partnership and commitment to joint work towards interconnecting the Baltic electricity grids with continental Europe via Poland by February 2025.
As the Prime Minister added, the transport links that the two countries are developing - the Rail Baltica and Via Baltica - are not only significant projects in terms of the security of the region, but they also bring real, practical benefits to the people of both countries.
