Vilnius
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.
The Vilnius City Council has unanimously approved a decision on free travel for Ukrainian refugees on public transport until 2026. Such support has been in effect since March 2022 after the Russian invasion.
Lithuania will allocate EUR 10 million for the production of Ukrainian long-range drones “Palianytsia”. The defense ministers of the two countries sign a memorandum on long-term cooperation in the defense industry.
Taiwan explained that military assistance to Ukraine is a “sensitive issue” because of its relations with China. The country provides humanitarian aid through neighboring states and has joined Western sanctions against russia.
The President of Lithuania had a phone conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump to discuss support for Ukraine and defense partnership. The leaders also discussed the threats posed by the cooperation of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
Ukraine has offered Lithuania a mechanism to finance the production of the Palianytsia drone missile. Lithuania will invest €10 million according to the Danish model, and the Lithuanian Defense Minister plans to visit Ukraine in the near future.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk presented the Victory Plan in the Lithuanian Parliament. He will also visit Estonia and Latvia to attract additional assistance to Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with his Norwegian counterpart Arild Gram. The parties discussed the transfer of F-16s, strengthening air defense, and Norway's ability to contribute to the financing of Ukrainian defense companies.
The Romanian government has approved legal procedures for training Ukrainian personnel to operate F-16s at the Fătesti air base. This is the fulfillment of a commitment made by Romania at the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
The Investigative Committee of Belarus has accused 45 oppositionists of trying to disrupt the 2025 elections. The case is related to Platform 2025, a document on the illegitimacy of Lukashenka's government adopted at a conference in Vilnius.
Lithuanian border guards found a car with the Z symbol on a Moscow-Kaliningrad train. The train staff erased the prohibited inscriptions under supervision, after which the train continued to move.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga has proposed that Slovakia sign a bilateral security agreement. Ukraine has already concluded 26 such agreements with partner countries and calls on Slovakia to join the G7 Vilnius Declaration.
Lithuania is considering reducing the number of bus trips with Belarus after the ban on Belarusian cars. Dozens of buses, mostly with Belarusian passengers, run between the countries every day.
President Zelenskyy announced the start of negotiations on a security agreement with a European country on August 2. Ukraine is also preparing visits by leaders and working to ensure the country's resilience for years to come.
Severe storms in the Baltic States and Poland left tens of thousands of people without electricity. In Lithuania and Poland, casualties were reported, infrastructure was damaged, and Latvia experienced record rainfall.
Ukraine and Greece finalize the text of a bilateral security agreement. Ukraine has already concluded 25 such agreements and is negotiating with four more states to sign a security document.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed gratitude to Lithuania for its strong support, including €1. 2 billion in aid, hospitality for Ukrainian refugees, and advocacy for Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO, during his online address to Lithuanian ambassadors.
Ukraine plans to sign security agreements with 9 more countries, bringing the total number of countries to 32.
The US President announced the provision of 5 Patriot systems to Ukraine, but Andriy Yermak expects that more such systems will be provided in the future.
21 countries and the European Union signed the Ukraine Treaty at the NATO summit. Zelenskyy said that the treaty takes relations with partners to a new level. According to the president, this is a significant achievement.
21 countries and the EU signed the Ukraine Treaty at the NATO summit to support Ukraine's security against russian aggression by providing defense assistance, military equipment, economic aid, and promoting reforms.
NATO member states expressed their full support for Ukraine's right to choose its own security arrangements and decide its future without external interference, including the irreversibility of its path to full Euro-Atlantic integration and NATO membership once the necessary conditions are met.
NATO needs 35 to 50 additional brigades totaling 105,000 to 350,000 soldiers to fully implement its new defense plans against potential Russian aggression, which poses a serious challenge to Allies in providing the necessary personnel and capabilities, such as air defense.
The war in Ukraine has increased the level of poverty and set the country back 16 years in addressing this issue, said Halyna Tretyakova, chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Veterans' Rights.
Ukraine will revise the "philosophy" of social payments due to the excessive number of obligations that cannot be supported by financial resources in order to optimize them and increase their targeting.
Only 9. 5 million Ukrainians pay a single social contribution, while 11 million pensioners receive pensions, creating a critical situation that requires changes to make solidarity pensions more equitable.
As of May 2024, more than 4. 6 million Ukrainians were registered as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine due to the ongoing war.
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty emphasizes the need to strengthen the integration of Ukrainian refugees in the EU and other countries, to ensure decent conditions and to invest in the integration system.
The Council of Europe should ensure monitoring and analysis of the human rights situation in Ukraine in order to bring perpetrators to justice in the future and overcome the deepening crisis in the field of social rights.
The mayor of Vilnius presented a city defense plan that includes evacuation routes, installation of sirens, construction of bomb shelters, and deployment of barriers such as dragon's teeth and steel hedgehogs to block potential attacks in the event of a military threat.