Lithuania

Representatives of the ICIP and UNESCO discussed plans for the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage sites and infrastructure in Ukraine affected by the Russian invasion, including monitoring of damage, training of military and judicial personnel, and organization of international conferences on the protection of cultural property.

Five European countries-Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic - have called on the European Commission to ban grain imports from Russia and Belarus to prevent Russia from financing the war against Ukraine.

Lithuania allocates 35 million euros for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine as part of the EU's ammunition initiative.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, believes that Europe should create its own version of the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system.

33 countries have joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, led by Ukraine and Canada, which aims to multiply efforts to return Ukrainian children deported to Russia.

France condemns russia's illegal organization of the presidential elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories and separatist regions, which violates Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lithuania does not consider the March 15-17 presidential elections in russia to be a legitimate democratic expression of will due to repression, fraud, coercion, suppression of the opposition and independent media, and the absence of OSCE observers, which makes Vladimir Putin's new "government" lack any democratic legitimacy.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anuskauskas resigns, the details of which are expected to be announced on March 18 after a meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda on a serious topic, although the reason for the resignation remains unknown.

With the support of the Lithuanian government, the school in Borodyanka, Kyiv region, damaged by Russian shelling, was rebuilt with modern educational equipment, an energy-efficient building and a unique autonomous underground shelter.

The Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have launched a new defense management reform to improve defense planning, resource management, and interoperability with NATO.

Rheinmetall, Germany's largest defense company, plans to increase its production of artillery ammunition to 700,000 shells per year by expanding its production capacity in Germany and building new plants in Ukraine and Lithuania.

More than two dozen heads of parliamentary foreign affairs committees, including the United States and Israel, signed a statement denying the legitimacy of the elections held by Russia in the occupied Ukrainian territories.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda supports discussions about sending Western troops to Ukraine to train Ukrainian soldiers and calls on the West to stop "drawing red lines" out of fear of Russia's reaction.

Polish farmers are planning to block traffic at the Swieczko border crossing with Germany from Sunday to Wednesday, protesting the government's inaction to meet their demands.

The Czech Republic secured an opportunity to purchase an additional 200,000 units of artillery ammunition for Ukraine from third countries.

Gabrielius Landsbergis believes that the time has come for discussions about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine, as they destroy the red lines that Western politicians have created for themselves. He also called for quick action, as endless debates without solutions are weakening Europe.

Polish President Andrzej Duda plans to propose raising the requirements for NATO defense spending from 2% to 3% of GDP during his upcoming visit to the United States and talks with the allies.

Cars with Russian license plates are banned in Lithuania, with the exception of diplomatic corps vehicles and vehicles in transit to/from the Kaliningrad region.

NATO nations are rotating air defense systems, including Patriot systems, to Lithuania to strengthen Europe's defense capabilities in the Baltic region in response to concerns about russian aggression.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that if Russia attacks the Baltic states, NATO will win, but their cities will be destroyed, like Bakhmut and Avdiivka in Ukraine.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warns of a potential €6 billion deficit in the Bundeswehr's budget for 2025, which threatens Germany's ability to meet the NATO target of 2% of GDP in defense spending.

France is forming an alliance of countries open to the potential deployment of Western troops to Ukraine, deepening its confrontation with a more cautious Germany.

The French foreign minister said that Ukraine has not asked for troops, but France does not rule out anything, including sending personnel to conduct demining operations in the coming months.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on allies to urgently increase and accelerate military aid to Ukraine, saying that the strategy of helping Ukraine "one drop at a time" no longer works to defeat Russia and prevent the spread of war in Europe.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will visit Lithuania to discuss with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and France a rapid increase in military aid to Ukraine.

russia has the resources from high oil prices, sanctions evasion and state investment to sustain the war in Ukraine at the current intensity for at least two more years, according to a report by Lithuanian intelligence services.

Western allies, including Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, and France, have expressed support for the Czech Republic's initiative to purchase hundreds of thousands of artillery shells for Ukraine from non-EU countries, with almost all of the necessary funding already secured.

Lithuania suspects that Russia is selling grain from the occupied Ukrainian territories through Baltic ports.

The Latvian government has approved a €303 million plan to strengthen fortifications along its eastern border with russia and belarus as part of a joint Baltic defense line.

Lithuania supports the Czech initiative to purchase and transfer artillery ammunition to Ukraine from outside the EU to help Ukraine defend itself against russian aggression.