“We usually speak about learning or ignoring lessons when we have to deal with defeat. What kind of lesson did this great victory teach us in terms of its significance and meaning from today’s perspective? In my view, it is very important and still topical: the creation of statehood and the protection of own identity, independence and values has always been and continues to be our daily battle,” the President said.
Gitanas Nausėda underlined that victory in the Battle of Grunwald was predetermined by the spirit of unity. According to the President, the strength of change and creation stems from unity between nations. “Nations that stand in unity can accomplish heroic deeds, and this year we had the opportunity to see that the power of solidarity overcomes even the greatest of challenges,” the President said.
Speaking at the site of Grunwald, Gitanas Nausėda pointed out that Lithuania’s and Poland’s ambition and sense of responsibility for the security and well-being of the Eastern Europe region was born in the historic battlefield and evolved through the timeline.
For Lithuania and Poland, the President said, investment in defense is not a mere whim, but an existential necessity. “Having joined the two-percent club, Lithuania must continue its membership and continue allocating no less than two percent of GDP for defense spending,” the President said.
Among the speakers at the ceremony were also the Polish President Andrzej Duda, the Voivodeship Marshal of Warmia-Masuria, Gustaw Marek Brzezin, as well as the Prime Ministers of Lithuania and Poland.
Leaders laid a wreath to commemorate those who died in the Battle of Grunwald. At the end of the ceremony, President Gitanas Nausėda unveiled a memorial stone, Lithuania’s gift to Poland.
He thanked the President of Poland for supporting Lithuania and for promoting close and friendly bilateral relations. The President emphasized that the monument symbolized the courage and unity of Grunwald warriors and marked the Lithuanian-Polish victory against external enemies and threats.
The memorial stone has been erected at the initiative of the Lithuanian Royal Union of Nobility, the Vilnius officers' club Ramovė and the Association of Military Reserve Soldiers in association with the Lithuanian Embassy in Poland and the Lithuanian Armed Forces and funded by donations from the Lithuanian people.
After the official ceremony at the site of the historic battle, the Presidents of Lithuania and Poland will hold a bilateral meeting to discuss the security situation in both countries and the NATO agenda. Special focus will be placed on Russia’s historical revisionism, Eastern Partnership, and the project of synchronization with continental Europe.