The President discussed strengthening European defense and support for Ukraine with the President of the European Council

On Wednesday, President Gitanas Nausėda spoke by phone with Antonio Costa, President of the European Council. The conversation took place in preparation for the European Council meeting to be held on October 23-24. The leaders discussed EU support for Ukraine, the strengthening of European security and defense, and the issue of irregular migration.

The President expressed his hope that the upcoming EU summit would focus on European security and defense, particularly on the EU's eastern flank, which faces direct threats from Russia and Belarus.

Lithuania strongly supports initiatives such as the Eastern Flank Watch and the "drone wall," which aim to strengthen the air and drone defense capabilities of EU member states through the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument and the European Defense Industry Program (EDIP).

The President emphasized the need to raise the issue of instrumentalized irregular migration - which negatively affects the security of the Schengen area - at the highest EU level.

He stressed that the upcoming EU summit must send a clear signal on continued large-scale military and financial support for Ukraine. Lithuania supports the launch of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine as soon as possible, based on the country's tangible progress.

According to the President, it is also essential to maintain and intensify EU pressure on Russia by adopting the 19th package of sanctions targeting Russia's "shadow fleet," as well as its energy and financial sectors.

The discussion also touched upon the issue of enhancing EU competitiveness.