Lithuanian foreign minister outlines five key elements for just peace in Ukraine

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has stated that security guarantees are essential for achieving a lasting and just peace in Ukraine and outlined five key elements that must be included.

Budrys declared ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels that the first element is long-term and consistent military support for Ukraine, amounting to at least €40 billion this year. The second element is the presence of European troops in Ukraine, with support from the US. The third element involves increasing pressure on Russia through sanctions and the seizure of frozen assets. The fourth element must be justice through accountability – not only in a legal sense but also through reparations.

The Lithuanian foreign minister added that the fifth element was Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU, stating that 1 January 2030 was seen as an achievable goal through joint efforts.

Meanwhile, European Pravda sources revealed that during discussions on the draft conclusions of the European Council meeting on 20-21 March, Hungary’s representatives are again pushing to shorten the section on Ukraine. They are attempting to remove references to continued military support for Ukraine and the concept of "peace from a position of strength".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán refused to sign the conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting on 6 March regarding support for Ukraine, resulting in the final text being approved by 26 out of 27 EU member states.