Global attention on the war in Israel will not weaken Western support for Ukraine, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said in an interview with Deutsche Welle on Oct. 19.
Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as Israel's war against Hamas, are longstanding problems, Simonyte said, and they require long-term solutions.
Ukraine's Western allies must continue to provide support, including weapons and financial assistance, because it is vital that Russia is defeated, she added.
Simonyte also reiterated her support for Ukraine's integration into both the EU and NATO, although she acknowledged that it requires consensus among the organizations' respective members, which will take time.
Nonetheless, “Ukraine proves every day that it is fighting for the right to join the European Union and NATO.”
Ukraine was granted candidate status to the EU in June 2022 and officially applied to join NATO in September 2022.
Lithuania has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion and has already provided close to one billion euros in military, financial, humanitarian, and reconstruction support as of June 2023.
It is the first-largest contributor worldwide in terms of the percentage of its GDP.
Mark Leonard
(Updated: )
