On 24 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis continued his visit to Ukraine and met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other high-ranking officials.

On 23 February in Kyiv, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, the Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epiphanius I, and relatives of Ukrainian citizens unlawfully imprisoned in Russia.

On 23 February, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Arnoldas Pranckevičius took part in an informal video conference of European affairs ministers, who prepared the informal video conference of Members of the European Council on 25-26 February. Ministers discussed the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, security and defence, and issues of the European Union's neighbourhood. They also exchanged views on the European democracy action plan and took stock of the interinstitutional discussions on the Conference on the Future of Europe, as well as assessed the state of play of EU-UK relations.

On 22 February, EU ministers of foreign affairs made a political decision to impose targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for Alexei Navalny’s imprisonment and the crackdown on peaceful protesters under the EU global human rights sanctions regime, or the so-called European Magnitsky Act.

On 22 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis participated in the Foreign Affairs Council, which focused on the EU-Russia relations, the human rights and democracy situation in Belarus, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and the EU initiative to strengthen a common European security and defence culture.

On the eve of the Foreign Affairs Council to be held on 22 February, EU ministers of foreign affairs, ambassadors, and representatives of the EU institutions met with Leonid Volkov, chief of staff to Alexei Navalny, and Ivan Zhdanov, Director of  Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis.

On 18 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis participated in a virtual roundtable, which was hosted by the American-Lithuanian Business Council (ALBC), discussed possibilities for expanding cooperation, and got acquainted with the association’s operational plans. The meeting focused on the situation in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lithuania’s foreign policy priorities,  Belarus, as well as other issues of international importance.

 

We have just received the sad news that a renowned Lithuanian-American cardiologist, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Lithuanian citizen Dr. Bernard Lown has died.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania is concerned about the recent political situation in Georgia. Parliament's decision to waive the legal immunity of Nika Melia, the leader of the main opposition party, the United National Movement, and the possible arrest of the politician reduces the possibility of dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition, raising questions about selective justice and the rule of law in the country.

On 15 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis had a remote conversation with Dominic Raab, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and First Secretary of State of the United Kingdom. The meeting focused on bilateral cooperation, the relationship between the European Union and the UK, the situation in Belarus, the sanctions policy, as well as relations with Russia and China.