At her meeting with Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Women Speakers of Parliaments of the European Union in Brussels, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, said that Europe, which had recently witnessed intensified military attacks by Kremlin in the middle of the continent, must take the initiative to maximise sanctions against Russia and ensure that military crimes are met with a proper response. In addition, comprehensive support for Ukraine, including preparations for post-war reconstruction, must certainly remain among the EU’s priorities.

On October 13 Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas and representatives of other 14 countries meeting in Brussels signed a Letter of Intent on joining the European Sky Shield initiative. The initiative which has been proposed by Germany is designed to carry out joint procurement, develop NATO European Allies’ ground-based air defenses and enhance interoperability, including better integration with NATINAMDS. Other signatories besides Lithuania were Belgium, Bulgaria Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Netherland, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.

An attack on Polish schools in the Vilnius Region has started this year. Last March, the local government of the Trakai District decided to ‘reorganize’, or rather degrade two Polish schools. Actions, that were unfavourable to Polishness and were aimed at limiting education of centuries-old traditions, started intensifying. The existence of schools is threatened mainly in the Trakai District, but the situation in the Šalčininkai District is also bad, as it is threatened by the Lithuanian government with financial restrictions simply for maintaining Polish schools.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has met with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in Paris to discuss bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and France, the European security situation in the context of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, energy security issues, and support for Ukraine.

On Thursday morning, the leader of the democratic forces of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, will address MEPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

As part of his working visit to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic which holds the Presidency of the EU, President Gitanas Nausėda participated in an informal meeting of the European Council on Friday to discuss the EU energy security, the protection of critical infrastructure, and the economy.

A meeting of the Steering Committee of the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence was held in Vilnius. The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs E. Meilūnas, who presided over the meeting, pointed out that in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine and confrontation with the Western world, the activities of the Centre operating in Vilnius and the topic of energy security acquire a qualitatively new meaning. Vice Minister emphasized that "military attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure are integrated into Russia's war strategy - a war not only against Ukraine but also against the international order based on democratic principles and rules."

On October 7 Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas met with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia Gordan Grlić Radman and thanked for Croatia’s decision to deploy military personnel to the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group Lithuania at Rukla next year.

On Friday, President Gitanas Nausėda met on the sidelines of the European Council with Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, to discuss support for Ukraine, energy security, the fight against disinformation, and Russia’s attempts to rewrite history.

On October 8th, the Minister of National Defence of Lithuania Arvydas Anušauskas will meet with the Minister of Defence of Germany Christine Lambrecht, who will pay an official visit to Lithuania. During the bilateral meeting, which will take place at the Palace of the Grand Dukes in Vilnius, the Ministers will discuss key cooperation issues and support for Ukraine. Later, the Ministers will travel to Rukla to inaugurate the Forward Command Element of the German Brigade assigned to Lithuania. They will also observe the Brigade’s first exercise at the Gaižiūnai training area.