President of Ukraine met with the Speakers of the Parliaments of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia who arrived in Kyiv

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia Ināra Mūrniece, and partymember of the Latvian National Alliance (All for Latvia! – For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK), plus the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen and President of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia Jüri Ratas who arrived in Kyiv.

The Seimas (consisting of 141 members) traces its origins to the Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as well as the Seimas of inter-war Lithuania. The grand duchy of Lithuania incorporated Lithuania proper, Belarus, and western Ukraine, which became one of the most influential powers in eastern Europe (14th–16th century). In a certain way this unity there was, makes us wonder why Belarus now had decided to go with Putin to fight those who also could be seen as their blood brothers.

The first Seimas after the restoration of independence of Lithuania convened in 1992.

Royal Banner (c. 1605) used by the Vasa dynasty – Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Lithuania was a powerful empire that dominated much of Eastern Europe in the 14th–16th centuries before becoming part of the Polish-Lithuanian confederation for the next two centuries.

The Republic of Lithuania, re-established at the end of World War I, saw the participation of the Lithuanian state in the old Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth mostly in a negative light at the early stages of regaining its independence, although this attitude has been changing in recent years. ^{{ “”Zobaczyć Kresy”. Grzegorz Górny. Rzeczpospolita 23 August 2008 (in Polish)” (in Polish). Rp.pl. 23 August 2008. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2009.}}

The Ukrainian President noted the importance of their visit to Ukraine despite the difficult security situation caused by the Russian invasion.

“From the first hours you are with us – at the level of leaders, at the level of nations. That is why we are grateful to you. In Ukraine, everyone understands this, everyone appreciates it,”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

“The highest trust of the people of Ukraine is in your countries and in Poland, it is true. This corresponds to the steps you have taken towards Ukraine,”

he added.

The President praised the signing today in Kyiv of a joint statement by the Speakers of the Parliaments of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in support of the Ukrainian state.

Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed gratitude for signing a joint statement

“On the Urgent Need to Modernize the Air Defence of Ukraine”, which was signed by representatives of the parliaments of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

“We welcome all the legislative initiatives in support of Ukraine that you are talking about and fulfilling in your parliaments, as well as in the international arena. You were also among the first to help with weapons,”

he said.

The President briefed the Speakers of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian Parliaments on the consequences of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, noting that Russian troops were deliberately attacking the civilian population and destroying peaceful infrastructure.

The aggressor is trying to besiege large cities such as Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, creating a humanitarian catastrophe in many settlements.

According to the President, in order to effectively protect citizens, including civilians, Ukraine needs weapons – air defence, aircraft and armoured vehicles.

Military and financial assistance from the Baltic States and other partner countries is vital for Ukraine today, said Volodymyr Zelensky.

He also stressed the importance of further strengthening sanctions against Russia, including the imposition of a full embargo on any trade with Russia and Belarus, as well as the disconnection of all Russian banks from the SWIFT system.

This will deprive the Russian military machine of funding and force Moscow to seek peace.

The President thanked Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for their active support of Ukraine’s accelerated movement towards membership in the European Union. He noted that given Ukraine’s defence of European values in the war with Russia, their country deserves an accelerated procedure for joining the EU.

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Preceding

EU must fight in the diplomatic and economic frontline

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