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Foreign Ministers of Lithuania, Sweden, and Iceland: support for Ukraine and tightening sanctions against Russia are our common interest

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Updated 2025-06-02

On 2 June, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kęstutis Budrys, met with the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard and the Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, who are attending the Vilnius Summit of the Bucharest Nine and Nordic countries.

Ministers discussed security and defence in the Nordic-Baltic region and Europe, Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the response to Russian hybrid attacks and threats posed by the shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea, and other key international issues.

"Russia remains the greatest and most immediate threat to our security. Russia's increasingly intense attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure show the aggressor's unwillingness to seek peace. It can be stopped and deterred by continuing the already existing sanctions and introducing new, even tougher ones - the EU's 18th sanctions package targeting the financial and energy sectors must be painful for the aggressor," said Budrys.

Ministers discussed the need to continue to fully support Ukraine and work towards ensuring a just and lasting peace that can only be achieved by ensuring Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, returning prisoners of war, abducted children and civilians, strengthening Ukraine's military capabilities, and finally, providing Ukraine with full-fledged security guarantees - the NATO and EU membership.

"The Nordic and Baltic countries are among Ukraine's biggest supporters, both politically and financially, thus, our continued efforts calling on others to increase support for Ukraine are essential, as Russia will not stop either now or after the negotiations," Budrys said.

The head of Lithuania's diplomacy called for decisive and coordinated action to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, stressing that the Baltic Sea region is becoming increasingly vulnerable due to Russia's growing military activity and its shadow fleet employed to circumvent international sanctions.

According to the Minister, it is necessary to continue the sanctioning of the remaining vessels of the shadow fleet and to adopt a common code of practice providing for strict countermeasures. Budrys also called for a determined fight against the intensification of hybrid threats, increasing the protection and resilience of critical infrastructure.