Lithuania will deliver a shipment of humanitarian aid worth 83,532 euros in response to the appeal of the Head of the European Commission DG for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection. Necessary medications and medical equipment worth 42,825 euros will be shipped together with relief supplies that include 50 electric heaters, 100 folding beds, 100 warm sleeping-bags, 2 power generators, 10 fuel-fired heaters, 10 tents and 2,000 wool blankets.

On 29 January 2015, Linas Linkevičius, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, took part in an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council convened in Brussels to address the issue of Ukraine. Taking into account the situation which has deteriorated severely, EU foreign ministers adopted a decision to extend the existing sanctions for additional six months from March.

The Foreign Affairs Council has delegated the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission to present a proposal on additional listings within a week so that EU foreign ministers could decide on fresh sanctions at their next meeting on 9 February 2015.

On 28 January 2015, Linas Linkevičius, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, took part in the conference "NATO and Ukraine: Prospects and Opportunities" hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Kiev. The event officially launched activities of the Lithuanian Embassy as a NATO Contact Point Embassy.

On 26 January, at Lithuania's request, the United Nations Security Council discussed the deadly shelling of Mariupol on January 23, when 30 people were killed and 90 wounded.

On 26 January 2015, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius met with UK Minister for Europe David Lidington in London and discussed possible results of the forthcoming EU's Foreign Affairs Council.

Residential areas of the city of Mariupol have been fired upon today from separatist held territory, which has cost the lives of at least fifteen civilians, wounding many others and terrorising the innocent population. This comes after a series of indiscriminate attacks in the Donbas in the past few days, accompanied by the announcements of further offensives by Russia-backed separatists, who bluntly refuse to observe the cease fire.

The recent clampdown on an NGO, media freedom and the potential for the EU to monitor the fundamental rights situation in member states were among the main issues raised at a public hearing on human rights in Hungary. The hearing took place on 22 January in the Parliament's justice committee with representatives of NGOs, international organisations and the Hungarian government in attendance.

After more than a year of conflict and protracted negotiations, it is high time for the leaders on both sides to start putting the interest of their people first and work genuinely towards peace and prosperity.

On 21 January, at Lithuania's request, the Security Council of the United Nations discussed the rapidly deteriorating situation in the eastern regions of Ukraine and continued violations of the truce as well as the Minsk Agreements.

In June 2013 the EU and the US launched negotiations on the world's largest free-trade agreement to date. It was promised that the agreement would lead to faster growth and more jobs but after seven rounds of negotiations many issues remain unresolved. We spoke to German S&D member Bernd Lange, chair of the international trade committee, who is drafting a report which will assess the results of the TTIP talks and express the Parliament's views on the main issues of a potential agreement.