On July 15, 2024 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba attended the Annual meeting of Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania in Vilnius as a honorary guest and addressed Lithuanian diplomats online.

The Foreign Minister thanked his Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis for the invitation and expressed his respect and gratitude to his Lithuanian colleagues for their assistance to Ukraine.

"You have warned the world for many years about the threat posed by the Putin regime. You were saying unpleasant but true things to your European colleagues for years, and they were saying that you were exaggerating. But you were right. You helped us with lethal weapons before the full-scale invasion began. You provided us with substantial military support right away when many others were still hesitant, afraid and waiting. You took our pain and struggle as your own. You immediately called the war a war and Russia an aggressor. You emphasised that the fate of Europe and the entire democratic world is being decided on the battlefield in Ukraine," said Dmytro Kuleba.

The Minister expressed his gratitude to Lithuania for its leadership in supporting Ukraine: assistance totalling EUR 1.2 billion or 2% of the national GDP, more than half of which is allocated for Ukraine's defence needs. He also thanked Lithuanians for their big hearts and hospitable shelter for thousands of Ukrainian women and children, and for numerous fundraising campaigns, one of which is ongoing these days.

The Minister expressed confidence that the implementation of bilateral Ukrainian-Lithuanian priorities is not only in the interests of our two countries: "Today, Europe is facing challenges from the outside, and the main one is not only Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, but also Russia's hybrid aggression against Europe as a whole. In this context, we need to continue strengthening the Nordic-Baltic-Ukraine format of cooperation, that has already proven to be effective. The vertical Baltic-Black Sea axis of cooperation holds key to stability and development for our two nations and the wider region."

The foreign minister also noted that the bravery and sacrifice of Ukrainians gave Europe a long-term advantage, including the possibility of further increasing the production of ammunition to help our Ukrainian Defence Forces: "If the West does not take this opportunity, it will eventually be in Russia's crosshairs."

The Foreign Minister recalled the recent brutal Russian shelling, in particular the attack on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, and expressed gratitude for the Lithuanian government's allocation of €1 million for its restoration. He also underlined that the X-101 missile used by Russia in the attack had many components produced in NATO countries and called on his Lithuanian colleagues to work together to cut off their supply to Russia.

Dmytro Kuleba once again stressed the need to support Ukraine's use of Western weapons against legitimate military targets in the Russian Federation: "We need to destroy Russian bombers before they launch deadly gliding bombs on our positions, cities and communities. This will significantly decrease Russian air terror and I would be grateful if you continue persuading your colleagues in Washington, London, Germany and other countries on making this decision a reality."

The Foreign Minister also stressed the importance of using NATO capabilities to protect at least part of Ukrainian sky in the west. "Shooting down deadly Russian missiles and drones does not make other states parties to the conflict. This is a humanitarian task. We need this decisiveness," he said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also thanked the Lithuanian diplomatic corps for its support and practical steps towards Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO. He also thanked Lithuania for its active work on the implementation of the Peace Formula and expressed hope for fruitful cooperation between Ukrainian and Lithuanian diplomats on the way to the second Peace Summit.

Dmytro Kuleba thanked the Lithuanian Ambassadors for their joint work with Ukrainian colleagues in Africa, Asia and South America.

"Your work in regions outside Europe and North America is extremely important. Unlike some other European nations, neither Ukraine nor Lithuania have a colonial context in our work with those countries. And this is a valuable asset that we must use to the fullest. And I encourage you work even more to tell the story of Russian colonialism towards our nations to our partners beyond Europe," he said.