On Tuesday, March 8, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, visited the Republic of Lithuania, where he held negotiations in a five-party format with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Marju Lauristin, Latvia, Edgars RinkÄ“viÄs, Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, and France, Jean-Yves Le Drian.
The key theme of the negotiations, which followed up on the recent summit in Paris chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, focused on practical steps to increase and expedite military support for Ukraine and joint production of weapons and ammunition.
Dmytro Kuleba urged Ukraine's partners to recognize the urgency of increasing support for Ukrainian soldiers to restore peace in Ukraine and across Europe.
"It's time to openly acknowledge that the strategy of assisting Ukraine in drips no longer works. Unhindered and timely supply of all types of weapons and ammunition is needed for Ukraine to defeat Russia and prevent the war from spreading to other countries in Europe. It's time for all Europeans to realize the new reality, which is that the era of peace in Europe has ended," said Dmytro Kuleba at a joint press conference following the negotiations.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized the need for localization of training for Ukrainian soldiers, production of weapons, and repair of military equipment in Ukraine.
Dmytro Kuleba stressed that Europe cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of its tragic past.
"For those who don't believe that the war can spill beyond Ukraine's borders and reach territories that are now part of NATO, please wake up. Read history textbooks, listen to what Putin is saying now, and find ten differences from what happened in the past. Could the occupation of the Baltic countries in the 20th century have been avoided? Yes, if strong decisions had been made. Why and for how long will we search for weak decisions in 2024? Weak decisions mean more war. Strong decisions mean ending the war. It's all very simple," he said.
The minister expressed gratitude to France, personally to President Emmanuel Macron, his French colleague, colleagues from the Baltic states, and other allies of Ukraine for their invaluable assistance and support.
He called on allies to make necessary decisions every day for a joint victory.
"When Ukraine has everything it needs, we shoot down Russian planes, we liberate our territories, we sink Russian ships, we win. The question is not about Russia's invincibility. The question is only about having everything necessary for Ukraine, for Ukrainian soldiers. I call on all countries, all partners, all friends, on behalf of every Ukrainian soldier who is fighting today, to finally resolve your differences and make decisions that will allow us to stop the war in Ukraine and avoid a situation where you will have to make decisions of a completely different scale to save your own villages, cities, and territories," concluded Dmytro Kuleba.
