The President of Lithuania has urgently called for a €10 billion investment in Ukraine's defense industry.
The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, emphasized that Europe must seize the frozen assets of Russia that are held within the European Union.
He made this statement following the second summit of European leaders and Canada, convened on Wednesday by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“We must act now to support Ukraine and strengthen Europe’s security. No more talks – it’s time to act,” – wrote Nausėda on his account on X.
He stated that Ukraine needs to be provided with genuine security guarantees – NATO membership must remain on the table.
“Russia must be held accountable for war crimes, and sanctions (against the Russian Federation) should remain in place until the (Russian) aggression ceases,” – he stressed.
He also urged for immediate investments in providing weapons, including allocating 10 billion euros to Ukraine's defense industry.
“Seizing Russia's frozen assets and imposing tariffs on imports from Russia/Belarus.
Urgent accession of Ukraine to the European Union – targeted date by 2030,” – wrote the president of the Baltic nation.
“Ukraine's security is part of European security. Let's act together,” – Nausėda emphasized.
A similar opinion was expressed by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas following the summit as well.
“Europe must stay focused and act now to support President Zelensky against Putin. At today’s meeting with heads of state organized by Emmanuel Macron, we saw that we have the tools – sanctions, tariffs, frozen assets – to maintain maximum pressure. We will not back down and will stand with Ukraine.”
Background. Recall that French President Emmanuel Macron announced the outcomes of the second summit of country leaders: “Ukraine must always be involved in negotiations, and its rights must be respected,” – he stated.
He emphasized that the summit participants are convinced of the necessity to increase defense spending, and decisions will be made in the coming days and weeks.