Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled Wednesday to Lithuania for what he said would talks about security, integration with NATO and the European Union, drone cooperation and coordinating European support.
Zelenskyy also said he would express gratitude to Lithuania for its “uncompromising support for Ukraine since 2014 and especially now, during Russia’s full-scale aggression.”
President Gitanas Nausėda’s office said in addition to discussing the war in Ukraine, the two leaders would also give addresses to the Lithuanian people and meet with Ukrainian refugees who are living in Lithuania.
Zelenskyy has made occasional trips outside of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
He said Wednesday that in addition Lithuania, his trip will include stops in Estonia and Latvia.
Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have expressed the need to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses amid daily Russian attacks. This year has featured unusually intense waves of drones and particularly missiles from Russia, which have frequently targeted Ukrainian cities.
The United States, most members of the European Union and more than 20 other nations issued a joint statement Tuesday condemning North Korea’s sale of missiles to Russia and the Russian military’s subsequent use of those missiles during attacks on Ukraine.
The statement said the attacks took place December 30 and January 2, and that the signatories are closely monitoring what Russia provides to North Korea in return for the missiles.
“The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia’s war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime,” the statement said. “Russia’s use of DPRK ballistic missiles in Ukraine also provides valuable technical and military insights to the DPRK.”
Those involved in the joint statement also included the foreign ministers of Argentina, Canada, Israel, Japan, Norway and South Korea.