Lithuania

Latvia is fully prepared to synchronize with the European power grid on February 8-9. President Rinkēvičs warns of possible provocations and disinformation from Russia.

Ukraine's president warned of Russia's possible deployment of troops in Belarus to put pressure on Poland and the Baltic states. Zelenskyy called on neighboring countries to increase defense spending to protect themselves from Russian aggression.

53% of Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania have official jobs, and 83% of children attend school. The UN will allocate $10.9 million to further support 55,000 refugees until 2025.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced a significant increase in defense spending by the Alliance. He supported Trump's position on the need to increase military investment and called on Germany to increase its defense budget.

Finland has approved the 27th package of military aid to Ukraine worth 198 million euros. The total amount of Finnish defense aid since the beginning of the full-scale invasion has reached 2.5 billion euros.

Lithuanian border guards discovered an underground tunnel on the border with Belarus that was being used for smuggling. With the physical barrier in place, smugglers are looking for new ways, including balloons.

The President of the European Council announced the readiness of NATO member states in the EU to increase defense spending by more than 2% of GDP. Since 2022, military spending has already increased by 30%.

Lithuania has provided Ukraine with a new batch of MANPADS with ammunition and outlined plans for military support. The total amount of aid from Lithuania has already exceeded 1.5 billion euros.

Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland call on the EU to increase military spending to 3% of GDP. The countries propose to use joint borrowing and allocate 50 billion euros for the production of artillery.

A 25-year-old woman from Chongqing lost her job because of her cat, which accidentally sent her resignation letter to her boss. Because of this incident, the owner of 9 cats also lost her annual Chinese New Year bonus.

President of Ukraine met with Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis. The parties discussed military assistance, sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Trenches for vehicles and infantry 340 meters long have appeared near the Gozki training ground in the Hrodna region. The Belarusian Ministry of Defense has announced that it will hold exercises at this training ground.

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister announced his readiness to send troops to Ukraine at the request of the Ukrainian side. This issue will be discussed with the allies after an official request from Ukraine.

Lithuania is preparing to transfer 4,500 drones to Ukraine for a total cost of 5 million euros. The government has also simplified the procedure for transferring military aid to speed up support.

5,000 drones worth 5 million euros purchased by Lithuania for Ukraine have not yet been delivered due to bureaucratic obstacles. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry promises to simplify the transfer procedure and deliver the equipment in the near future.

The former British prime minister called Putin a dirty word because of his imperial ambitions for Ukraine and the Baltic states. Johnson said that Russia is no longer an empire, and this needs to be realized.

Germany is creating a fourth division within the Army to protect critical infrastructure. The new unit will include 6 terror defense regiments with a total of 6,000 personnel.

As part of Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian military has trained more than 43,000 Ukrainian servicemen since 2015. The program includes basic and specialized training to improve the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield.

In 2024, the language ombudsman received 2,314 complaints about violations of language legislation, which is 37% less than last year. Most violations concerned the lack of a Ukrainian version of websites and services.

Lithuania has stepped up security at energy facilities due to attempts to disrupt the disconnection from the grid by Russia and Belarus. The Baltic states are planning to disconnect from the Soviet energy system next month.

Following an official request from the Lithuanian Broadcasting Commission, Google removed more than 200 blocked websites with Russian channels from its search results. This is part of the fight against disinformation and propaganda by Russian media.

Eight Nordic countries have announced their intention to increase assistance to Moldova after the suspension of Russian gas supplies on January 1, 2025. The NB8 countries praised the Moldovan authorities for their efforts to ensure energy stability.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys showed the destruction of the Lithuanian Honorary Consulate in Kherson after the New Year's attacks by Russia. He called for more air defense equipment to be provided to Ukraine for its defense.

Jan Lipavsky condemned the Russian strike on Kyiv on January 1, which claimed the lives of two people. Lipavsky emphasized the need to punish the aggressor.

Latvia has prepared more than 1,000 combat drones of various types for transfer to Ukraine. In 2025, the country plans to allocate an additional 20 million euros for the purchase of drones as part of a coalition with the United Kingdom.

Denmark, France, and Lithuania have provided Ukraine with more than €150 million for the development of the defense industry. The funds will be used to produce missiles, deep-strike drones, and artillery systems.

In 2024, Ukrainian enterprises produced more than 1. 5 million FPV drones and other types of drones. According to Defense Minister Umerov, 96.2% of all UAVs for the Armed Forces are Ukrainian-made.

In 2024, we launched 18 new Ukrainian-language audio guides to cultural sites around the world. We also donated hundreds of Ukrainian books to libraries in 8 countries as part of the Ukrainian Bookshelves project.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced the strengthening of security measures after the detection of damage to underwater communication cables. The Navy has increased patrols, and NATO will increase its military presence in the region.

The President of Ukraine has appointed Yuriy Vitrenko as Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna by Decree No. 881/2024. This appointment is part of a large-scale diplomatic reshuffle in Ukrainian missions abroad.