The raging fires in Los Angeles have already claimed at least five lives.

We note Gazprom’s decision to cease gas supplies to Moldova as of January 1st, 2025. This action is aimed at undermining political and economic stability in Moldova.

The Defence Materiel Agency (DMA) under the Ministry of National Defence has signed several contracts with the U.S. Government on acquisition of manpack radios and small uncrewed aerials systems in a continued effort to strengthen the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

On 2 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kęstutis Budrys, met with the Ambassador of the United States of America to Lithuania, Kara C. McDonald.

Yesterday on 17 December, at the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in Tallinn, President Gitanas Nausėda, alongside the leaders of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, discussed support for Ukraine, measures to counter Russia’s aggression, the strengthening of the JEF’s defense and deterrence policy, and the common vision of the JEF. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also joined the meeting remotely.

On Tuesday, President Gitanas Nausėda delivered a keynote address at the 10th Vilnius Foreign and Security Policy Conference at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, where he emphasized that strengthening Lithuania’s security and resilience, along with deterring Russia, are the state’s most important goals. He highlighted that these objectives can only be achieved through a values-based domestic and foreign policy.

Fugitive Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and members of his family are in Russia, where they have been granted political asylum, reported Reuters, based on Russian media reports citing Kremlin sources.

The President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, the President of the Republic of Estonia, Alar Karis, the President of the Republic of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, and the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, met in Klaipėda and issued a joint declaration on the situation in Georgia on Friday.

On Wednesday, President Gitanas Nausėda presented letters of credence to Egidijus Meilūnas, Lithuanian Ambassador to Canada and Representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

On Thursday 28th November, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on human rights issues in Hong Kong, Iran and Cambodia.