Lithuania to send troops to Ukraine for training, Šimonytė confirms
In a conversation with the "Financial Times", Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė declared that the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania has agreed to send its soldiers for training purposes to Ukraine. Authorities in Kyiv have not yet requested such assistance, but our neighbour is determined. Russia will not like this.
In recent weeks, there have been alarming signals about Russian forces' growing advantage in Ukraine. Although military aid from the West has been flowing since the beginning of the conflict, the situation at the front has become very difficult again due to Russia's mobilisation.
After Emmanuel Macron's declaration of sending troops to the front line, Lithuania's Prime Minister, Ingrida Šimonytė, shared her observations in the "Financial Times". In her conversation with the newspaper, she says that she has the approval of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania to send troops to Ukraine, of course, as part of a training mission.
The small country, which has felt threatened by Russians for years, wants to help Ukraine win the war.
Šimonytė has no doubts that the Kremlin would consider this action a provocation. She also believes that the repeated threats from Russia regarding the use of nuclear weapons against countries helping Ukraine have no grounding in reality today.
If we just thought about the Russian response, then we could not send anything. Every second week you hear that somebody will be nuked - said the Prime Minister of Lithuania.
The issue of deporting Ukrainian men subject to military conscription was also raised in the conversation. The Prime Minister of Lithuania denies that her country is assisting Kyiv in this regard, as it is not in line with the EU's international protection system, which is in force until March 2025.
She added that Lithuania will not issue permanent residency permits to individuals who evade military service in Ukraine if the Ukrainian side can prove it. In this way, Vilnius may discourage Ukrainians from fleeing to Lithuania from their homeland.
