Newly appointed minister of National Defence of Lithuania arrives in Ukraine, meets with Zelenskyy

The newly appointed Minister of National Defence of Lithuania, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, arrived in Kyiv, where he held a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as part of his first overseas visit in this position.

During the meeting, Zelenskyy emphasised the importance of Lithuania's continued leadership in the international coalition for mine action and further development of cooperation in the defence industry.

"Thank you for your support, for everything you've been doing since the beginning of the full-scale war. I know our teams are working on a document regarding security guarantees. We expect it to lay a new foundation for strengthening the defence of our states," emphasised the president.

Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukrainians are particularly grateful for Lithuania's financial contribution to the implementation of the Czech initiative regarding the purchase of artillery ammunition and for allocating funds for a batch of drones.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed further comprehensive support from Lithuania, particularly regarding the training of Ukrainian servicemen and the implementation of rehabilitation programs for wounded defenders.

Kasčiūnas was appointed the new Minister of Defence of Lithuania on 25 March.