“Our people always keep Ukrainians close to their hearts. Everything that happens in Ukraine is very important for us. I want to send my warmest good wishes to all Ukrainians on behalf of the Lithuanians. We stand beside you against all your challenges. We do our best to help you.” Thus spoke President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite at the joint press conference she held with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv on December 12.
Olena BETLII, analyst at the Institute of World Policy, Kyiv:
“This is the 9th meeting of our nations’ presidents, and it takes place within the framework of the Ukrainian-Lithuanian Presidential Council, which was established in the early 2000s. Past year, a similar meeting was held in Vilnius, and this year’s event marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Ukraine.
“Symbolism, of course, lies in the fact that President Grybauskaite has been proving once again, by her visit and speeches and all the messages delivered when talking to the press, that Lithuania really is at the moment a consistent and reliable partner of Ukraine and an ally who we can always count on.
“In particular, it is seen from the fact that the ‘road map’ for strategic partnership between Ukraine and Lithuania was extended today for the next two years. Also, relevant bilateral agreements were signed that would obviously facilitate deepening cooperation in various fields. This also means that we can continue to count on the expertise coming from Lithuania.
“Lithuania is perhaps most famous for this very thing. Indeed, Ukraine, in fact, has very capable Lithuanian experts working in various positions or leading various international missions in Ukraine and representing the EU, but at the same time having a very potent expert and political Lithuanian background. And they help Ukraine by offering advice based on the experience they gained in Lithuania when introducing certain reforms on its path towards European integration.
“Therefore, it is great that this visit of the Lithuanian president happened, and it is equally great to see the Lithuanian Public Garden inaugurated in Kyiv’s Sofiiska Square today. Accordingly, Kyiv will now have a special place that will be associated with Lithuania. A square or public garden which will be named after Ukraine should appear in Vilnius as well. Thus, it is also a symbolic act performed by the two countries and underscoring our relationship.
“Lithuania supports Ukraine on its path to NATO and the EU, and does a lot for reforming the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine and transition to the NATO standards. I hope that Ukraine will also be able to repay Lithuania for its support one day and start thinking what Ukraine could do for Lithuania, instead of thanking it all the time for what such a small country does for Ukraine.
“Lithuania provides an incredible amount of support for Ukraine in the EU. One can also mention what Lithuania did when serving on the UN Security Council in 2014-15. Lithuania supports Ukraine in every way it can, of course it includes advocating for a visa-free travel regime, extending sanctions against Russia, and designing a tough EU policy towards Russia. Containing Russia offers security guarantees for Lithuania as well.
“Regarding the role of the individual in relations between Ukraine and Lithuania, if we look at 25-year-long history of bilateral relations, we will see that under all Lithuanian presidents, we have had good relations. And of course, we can discuss here Valdas Adamkus’s role in the development of Lithuanian-Ukrainian relations and his contribution to supporting and developing democracy in Ukraine, European integration, and Euro-Atlantic integration.”
