On 24 February 2023, the International Forum “Pursuing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula: Joint Actions of Ukraine and Lithuania towards the Long-Lasting Peace” was at the leading Lithuanian higher education institution, at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Kaunas
Holding the forum at the one year milestone of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine is another evidence of Lithuania's diverse practical support for Ukraine. The Forum was focused on two areas of the Ukrainian Peace Formula: ensuring energy security and restoring justice. Since the beginning of the full-scale aggression, Lithuania has been one of the international leaders and promoters of energy security and justice. After a productive discussion at the forum, Ukrainian-Lithuanian cooperation in these areas will undoubtedly become even more effective.
In his address to the participants of the International Forum, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "Russia must lose in Ukraine. Russian revanchism must forever forget about Kyiv and Vilnius, about Chisinau and Warsaw, about our brothers in Latvia and Estonia, in Georgia and in every other country that is now threatened by Russian killers. We can do it. We have this historic chance. And I thank all of you, Lithuanian people, I thank all of you, friends, for doing everything together with us in order not to lose this historic chance."
During the event, the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, reiterated that Lithuania would stay with Ukraine as long as needed, contributing to a just and sustainable peace in Europe and the world.
The forum was attended by Denys Maliuska, Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Yaroslav Demchenkov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine, and Valerii Bezus, Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine.
The Forum not only serves as a model of cooperation on the implementation of the Peace Formula for other democratic countries, but also launches the next stage of the Ukrainian Centre's activities. This new phase envisages a long-term strategic goal - to create an institution competent to provide expert assistance to Ukraine on a wide range of issues, including Ukraine's preparation for EU membership.
We are grateful to the representatives of the governments of Ukraine and Lithuania, the academic community and experts for the informative and important discussion for Ukraine.