According to the President, Russia's actions in Ukraine pose a threat to the security system of the entire Europe. It is very important that Western states take a common position and seek common solutions to resolve the situation in Ukraine. Russia no longer respects international agreements and continues to escalate the conflict; therefore, a unified response from the international community is needed.
Lithuania has already taken concrete actions to strengthen its security. At the end of March, the political parties signed an agreement pledging to increase defense spending to 2 percent of the GDP by 2020. Military exercises are conducted and the most effective ways to counter Russia's information attacks are explored. NATO allies have reinforced the air policing mission in the Baltic region.
The President and Senators also discussed ways to further deepen cooperation between Lithuania and the United States, especially in such areas as the energy sector. They exchanged views on the possibility of facilitating the import of liquefied natural gas from the United States to EU countries. This is particularly important for the EU in order to diversify energy sources and diminish energy dependency on a single supplier. Among the other issues addressed at the meeting was collaboration in cyber security.
The President underlined that the EU must continue its principled stand on signing the association agreements with Georgia and Moldova as well as the free trade agreement with Ukraine. These agreements must be signed as soon as possible.
