The Netherlands is allocating 150 million euros ($170 million) to boost Ukraine's air defenses, while Lithuania intends to allocate 20 million euros ($23 million) for ammunition purchases, the two countries' defense ministers said on April 11.
The application was submitted earlier this year but did not receive approval, Lithuanian officials said.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic said the move aims to tighten supervision over trains traveling to and from Kaliningrad, a Russian military stronghold bordering Lithuania and Poland.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January and launched a new effort to reach peace between Russia and Ukraine, turning American foreign policy upside down, Europe has been hit with a clear message: the age of the U.S. as a guarantor of European security is
The European Union is launching the Ukraine2EU program worth 16.7 million euros ($18 million) to support to support Ukraine’s preparation for EU membership, officials announced on April 1.
"So, in purpose to cut this trend, in purpose to stop this scenario, we have to show and introduce the hard measures sooner than later," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said.
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sat down with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys during his visit to Kyiv on April 1 to discuss the future of Europe during U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, whether European sanctions remain an effective instrument to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, and Lithuania's contribution to the "coalition of the willing."
Upon her arrival, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced additional humanitarian support for Ukraine amounting to 130 million euros ($140 million).
As the U.S. chooses an increasingly hostile posture toward Europe, the U.K. and France have been gearing up to lead the continent's defense without Washington. French President Emmanuel Macron has coined the term "strategic autonomy," which envisions a self-sufficient Europe that can defend itself and export its agenda
The soldiers and their tracked vehicle disappeared on March 25 during an exercise at a training ground near the Lithuanian city of Pabrade, located about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border with Belarus. Pabrade hosts Camp Herkus, a U.S. military facility.
U.S. soldiers and a tracked vehicle disappeared on March 25 in a training area near the Lithuanian city of Pabrade, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Belarus.
"We all understand that when the war in Ukraine will be stopped, Russia will redistribute its forces very quickly. That means also the threat level will increase significantly very quickly," said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
The fate of the four missing soldiers is still unknown, a NATO spokesperson clarified after Secretary General Mark Rutte said they had died. Rescue efforts are currently underway.
"My country is ready to provide the necessary support," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told Bloomberg Television.
In a joint letter, the foreign ministers of Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia called on Brussels to put forward "concrete proposals on how to decisively advance Ukraine's accession process."
The defense ministers of the four nations argued that the security situation in the region has "fundamentally deteriorated" and that military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have "significantly increased."
Throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, repeated and escalating warnings of the potential for a wider war have only raised fears in the Baltic states that they could be next in the crosshairs of the Kremlin. Talk about a potential Russian invasion is "very common at parties, gatherings, lunch breaks,
The Lithuanian prosecutor’s office alleges that Russia's military intelligence formed a special group to carry out arson attacks across Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia.
Lithuania ranks among Europe's top defense spenders, allocating 2.85% of its GDP to defense in 2024, according to NATO estimates.
"This readiness of France, this is something very promising," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Brussels on the sidelines of an EU summit. "We have to treat this proposal seriously."
The Lithuanian parliament voted to exit the treaty last July, leading to Vilnius submitting documents for withdrawal in the autumn of that year. The six-month deadline for leaving the convention expired on March 6.
Lithuania has already invested 20 million euros ($21 million) in purchasing weapons for Kyiv from Ukrainian producers and will produce arms in cooperation with Ukraine, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on March 1.
Speaking at the Support Ukraine summit in Kyiv, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for decisive leadership to accelerate Ukraine's integration.
"So I do hope that we will start to move faster in the next few months," Lithuania's defense chief said at the YES conference event held in Kyiv by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion.
The Belarusian company Agroproduct has been using raw materials from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast to produce rapeseed oil, which it then exported to the European Union.
Editor's note: The interview has been edited for clarity. Storm clouds are intensifying in Europe as Ukraine approaches the fourth year of the full-scale war with Russia. Initial hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration might adopt the "peace through strength" approach towards Moscow are beginning to unravel
"We must act now to support Ukraine and boost Europe's security. No more talk shops — time for action," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X.
The Kyiv Independent’s Martin Fornusek speaks with former Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, at the 2025 Munich Security Conference as U.S. officials undermine Ukraine’s NATO prospects and territorial integrity ahead of peace negotiations with Russia.
Lithuania will allocate nearly 32 million euros ($32.9 million) in 2025 to support the education of Ukrainians who have relocated to the country due to the war, Lithuanian broadcaster LRT announced on Feb. 9.
Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia will disconnect from Russia’s power grid this weekend and synchronize with the Western European network.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Gitanas Nauseda warned that a peace settlement without proper deterrents would allow Russia to consolidate its forces and prepare for further military action.
Key developments on Jan. 30: * Rescue operations end in Sumy with 9 killed, 13 injured after Russian drone attack on residential building * Sweden unveils its largest military aid package for Ukraine worth $1.2 billion * Lithuania open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, chief commander says * Russia's Soviet-era military stockpile running
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