This Tuesday, the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda participated remotely in the preparatory session of the European Council with the President of the European Council Charles Michel. Representatives from Finland, Greece, the Czech Republic and Croatia also participated in the meeting.
The videoconference was intended to prepare for the European Council meeting in Brussels on 24 and 25 March. The main topics of the meeting are the European Union’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, assistance measures for Ukraine, EU security and defense policy and energy independence.
During the preparatory meeting, the President underlined that following Ukraine’s application for EU membership and the continuation of the debate launched in Versailles, the question of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as well as that the practical steps for its rapprochement with the EU should be discussed at the next session of the European Council. Regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine, the President stressed the need to create humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of residents of Ukrainian cities surrounded and bombarded by the Russian army. According to the head of the country, as the number of war refugees in Europe increases, there is a need to provide assistance mechanisms to countries that host war refugees.
The head of state stressed that Russia must take responsibility for the atrocities committed in Ukraine and feel the consequences of its brutal actions. According to the President, the EU must continue to extend the sanctions in order to limit any possibility for Russia to continue to finance the war against Ukraine and to completely isolate the aggressor on the international scene.
“Russia is funding its bloody actions in Ukraine with the money we give it for oil and gas. This can no longer continue. We cannot finance terrorism with our own money. The new sanctions package must lead to tough sanctions against the Russian energy sector,” the President said.
The Head of State stressed that the EU must diversify its energy import sources and get rid of its energy dependence on Russia as soon as possible.
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