Lithuanian foreign ministry has not ruled out deployment of troops to Ukraine if requested

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has stated that if Ukraine requests the deployment of troops from certain Western countries, including Lithuania, Vilnius will consult with its allies on the matter.

Budrys said in an interview with Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT that if such a situation arises, Lithuania would consult with its allies, partners, and Ukraine to determine how it would unfold.

"Let me remind you that after the Paris summit, when President (Emmanuel) Macron invited Lithuania’s president, among others, to discuss the initiative to expand military involvement in Ukraine in various forms, Lithuania didn’t rule out that possibility," he said.

Budrys emphasised that Lithuania has been a security provider in the region, contributing not only through diplomacy but also through other means.

"In the same way, we need to talk now about what this would look like, based on a very clear and concrete position, which is also being sent to the incoming US administration, that Lithuania is a security provider in the region, not just a recipient. If the question comes up, I have no doubt that the Lithuanian flag will be there," the minister said.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during discussions in Brussels in December, the idea of deploying a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine was raised as a potential safeguard against a new Russian attack. He noted that he is already seeing positive responses from some leaders.

Roderich Kiesewetter, defence spokesperson for Germany’s main opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, believes that Germany, as the EU's largest economy, should participate in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if one is established after the war.

Additionally, it has been reported that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to visit Ukraine in the coming weeks to discuss the possibility of deploying international peacekeeping forces after the war with Russia ends.

Meanwhile, Poland's Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has ruled out sending peacekeepers to Ukraine after the war, explaining that "NATO should focus on greater burden-sharing and diversification".