President Dalia Grybauskaitė spoke on the phone with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron. The conversation took place at the initiative of the British Prime Minister.

On 21 May at the United Nations Security Council meeting commenting on the report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (UNHRMM), Lithuania's Permanent Representative to the UN ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė stressed that continued objective, unbiased information on human rights situation in Ukraine remained essential. While noting that once again, the report clearly showed that serious human rights violations followed, and not preceded, pro-Russian separatist actions in Ukraine, she expressed hope that UNHRMM would continue its regular reports beyond the month of June.

During the official visit to Ethiopia on 19 May, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius met with the highest-ranking officials of that country: the Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the Speaker of the House of People's Representatives Abadula Gemeda and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

European Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger met Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak today in Berlin in order to discuss issues relating to security of gas supply and transit from Russia via Ukraine to the EU. It was a constructive meeting that helped to prepare the ground for the second trilateral meeting between the EU, Russia and Ukraine. This is scheduled for 26 May subject to confirmation by all parties involved (a possible venue is Berlin).

On Saturday, during the meeting with Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev, Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Vytautas Leskevicius stressed that the human rights situation in the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine, in particular constraints of the rights of the Crimean Tatars must be the main question on the agenda of international organizations.

The 10th meeting of the Lithuania-Ukraine Commission for European Integration took place on 16 May in Kyiv. The Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Vytautas Leškevičius and the Government's Commissioner for European Integration of Ukraine Valeriy Piatnytsky chaired the meeting.

As Europe enters the final week before the European elections, the European Parliament in Brussels opens its doors to the public on Saturday 17 May. Join us to find out more about how the world's second largest democratic assembly functions, but also to meet the political groups and take part in debates in the parliamentary chamber. If in Brussels, do not miss this chance for a peek behind the scenes.

Meeting in the Foreign Affairs Council, EU ministers strongly condemned recent violent events in Ukraine and the organisation of the referendum in Eastern regions. They also adopted conclusions on terrorists attacks and the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended condolences to President Abdullah Gül of Turkey on the tragic death of more than two hundred people.

On 12 May in Brussels, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius attended the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, which focused on the situation in Ukraine. In response to the continuing crisis in Ukraine, the Foreign Affairs Council made a decision to add 13 new names to the sanctions list of people who are responsible for escalating the situation in Ukraine and subject to visa bans and asset freezes. In addition, sanctions were imposed against two more entities, which had been confiscated in Crimea. In total, 46 people are now targeted by EU sanctions (visa bans and asset freezes).