President Metsola opened the 5-8 February plenary session in Strasbourg.

On Monday, President Gitanas Nausėda met with Szymon Hołownia, Marshal of the Sejm of Poland, to discuss bilateral ties between Lithuania and Poland, defense cooperation, the security situation in the region, and support for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė met with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson to discuss EU’s threat resilience, security, support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s aggression, and the situation in Belarus. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of the Interior, Agnė Bilotaitė.

In Washington, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Senator Patty Murray and members of the US Senate Committee on Appropriations under her leadership. They focused on closer transatlantic relations and essential security elements, namely, the strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank, including the long-term deployment of the US troops in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and the Baltic Security Initiative.

On 31 January and 1 February, President Gitanas Nausėda will attend a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas has left for Brussels to attend the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers on January 30-31.

On Saturday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis met with the Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov. They discussed the course of the war and the frontline situation. Landsbergis noted that Lithuania would always support Ukraine and would never accept attempts to pressure Ukraine to negotiate with Russia under the conditions it imposed.

Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional deal to revise rules on preventing and combating human trafficking on Tuesday.

On 24 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis welcomed the European Commission’s economic security strategy package, including new initiatives regarding export controls, foreign direct investment and research security.

A draft report on the state of the rule of law in 2023 endorsed by the Committee on Civil Liberties on Tuesday paints a concerning picture of the state of European values.