Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasčiūnas attended a virtual short-notice session of the NATO-Ukraine Council Friday with NATO Defence Ministers and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivering the opening remarks. President plead to assist Ukraine in protecting its cities and critical infrastructure and to send more ammunition and air defence systems.
Minister L. Kasčiūnas noted the indispensability of such a short-notice meeting and situation overview.
“I highly welcome the German initiative for urgent action on air defence which is a domain Lithuania shares in. We are conducting a review of our priorities at the moment to make sure we are able to contribute an air surveillance radar system as soon as possible. I was able to see clearly the very significant need for air defence equipment and ammunition during my visit to Ukraine last week,” said L. Kasčiūnas at the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting.
Minister added it was obvious the Ukrainian’s were running short on all types of ammunition and we had to ensure a steady supply of it.
“Procurements in international markets are an excellent option, Lithuania has join collective acquisition initiatives and will do so in the future,” said L. Kasčiūnas.
Lithuania has made every effort to assist Ukraine in the area of air defence since the beginning of the Russian war in 2022. The war-torn country received Lithuania’s donations of the P-18 Soviet-type early warning air surveillance radiolocation system, Stinger system, NASAMS launchers, Navy radars, L-70 anti-aircraft guns and ammunition, Mi-8 helicopters, and other equipment.
Responding to Ukraine’s requests, this year Lithuania has delivered to Ukraine 155 mm ammunition, M577 armored personnel carriers, drone jamming equipment, power generators, cold season gear and tens of thousands of warm clothing sets, thousands of Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle rounds, RISE-1 long-range smart initiation system.
Lithuania’s long-term assistance to Ukraine has reached over a billion euros to date, while the military assistance this far amounts to over EUR 610 million.
