Lithuania
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Gitanas Nausėda in Vilnius. They discussed sanctions pressure on Russia, European integration, and the reconstruction of Ukraine.
The NATO Summit should send a clear signal of support for Ukraine and renew commitments to collective defense. Lithuania will increase defense spending to 5% of GDP in 2026.
NATO Secretary General stated that peace is impossible without lasting security for Ukraine. Support for Ukraine to win the war will be discussed at the summit in Vilnius.
The Bucharest Nine summit will discuss providing Ukraine with everything it needs to fight. The Russian Federation is a long-term threat to NATO, so it is important to make the necessary decisions.
The President of Ukraine has arrived in the capital of Lithuania to participate in the summit of the "Bucharest Nine" countries and the Nordic countries. Bilateral meetings with summit participants are also planned.
Russian special services may use the tactic of recruiting teenagers for sabotage in Lithuania, as was the case in Ukraine. Teenagers are vulnerable, and scouts promise easy money.
Dovile Šakaliene stated that Russia does not respect the peaceful efforts of the United States and continues its offensive in Ukraine. She believes that the only way to stop the aggressor is military deterrence.
Former CIA chief Petraeus believes that if successful in Ukraine, putin may attack Lithuania. He criticized the US delay in arming and emphasized the huge losses of the russian federation.
The ECHR is considering 4 interstate cases of Ukraine against Russia regarding crimes in Crimea, Donbas, and the Kerch Strait. In some cases, violations of human rights by the Russian Federation have already been confirmed.
Programs for teaching Ukrainian as a second foreign language are being developed in Poland. The possibility of including it in the list of languages for the eighth-grader exam is also being considered.
In Lithuania, over a million euros from the EU, intended for Ukrainian refugees, were mistakenly received by citizens of 43 other countries, including Russians and Belarusians. An investigation into the incident has been launched.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania summoned a representative of the Russian Embassy and handed a note of protest over the killings of prisoners of war and the shelling of cities. Lithuania condemns Russia's war crimes.
The European Commission and the European Central Bank will give their consent for Bulgaria to join the Eurozone. This is expected to happen on January 1, 2026, making the country the 21st member of the currency union.
Mark Rutte wants to hold a short NATO summit without divisions among members due to Trump and Zelensky. The US may cut support for Ukraine, complicating the situation at the summit.
Latvia has sent 1,500 combat drones to Ukraine as part of an international coalition. Two Latvian companies will supply 12,000 drones within six months.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius allows the Bundeswehr to participate in peacekeeping forces in Ukraine if there is an international mandate and a ceasefire. The decision will be made on collective defense.
Joint training with the US Army was held in Šiauliai, Lithuania, to support HIMARS management skills. Lithuanian and American soldiers conducted theoretical and practical training.
The introduction of EU duties on Ukrainian agricultural products may cause economic damage to Ukraine and undermine confidence in Europe. This will reduce Ukraine's export revenue to 3.5 billion euros.
Leaders of nine EU countries have called for a revision of the European Convention on Human Rights. The reason is the difficulty in deporting migrants who have committed crimes.
Germany is increasing its military presence in Lithuania, expanding its tank brigade to 5,000 troops by 2027. This is a response to Russian aggression and the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank.
The President of Lithuania stated that NATO's refusal to promise Ukraine membership would be a serious blow to the Alliance's reputation. He emphasized the importance of inviting Ukraine to the NATO summit.
An audit of the military education system according to NATO criteria has begun in Ukraine. Experts will assess the compliance of training programs with Alliance standards and the effectiveness of military training. The audit will last until the end of the year.
Lithuania has filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice of the United Nations against Belarus, demanding compensation for organizing the illegal flow of migrants. Vilnius accuses the Lukashenko regime of using migrants as a political weapon.
Western intelligence agencies suggest that in the event of a truce, Russia may transfer troops to the borders of Finland, Norway, the Baltic countries and Belarus. The infrastructure is already ready.
A Russian reconnaissance aircraft monitored German troops during the Iron Wolf exercises in Lithuania. This confirms the threat from Moscow and the need to strengthen counterintelligence.
The Latvian Defense Intelligence Service calls on citizens to be attentive to suspicious persons who may be spies with backpacks and radios. Especially if they are interested in infrastructure and photograph objects.
The finalists of Eurovision-2025 have been determined in Basel after two semi-finals. Ukraine has reached the final, where the founding countries and winners of the qualifying rounds will also perform.
The Portuguese government is urged not to allow the "Georgian Dream" party to participate in the OSCE PA session due to the oppression of democracy. Prime Minister Kobakhidze called the appeal a "Soviet approach".
13 countries of the Council of Europe have signed the Convention on the Protection of the Legal Profession. Ukraine is absent among them, although it was expected that it would be one of the first to ratify the document.
Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the agreement of the 17th package of EU sanctions against Russia. It provides for restrictions on access to battlefield technologies and 189 vessels of the "shadow fleet".