President Gitanas NausÄ—da and the President of the European Council discussed support for Ukraine and hybrid attacks by Belarus

On Thursday, President Gitanas Nausėda spoke by phone with President of the European Council António Costa. The conversation took place in preparation for the European Council meeting scheduled for December 18-19 in Brussels. The discussion focused on support for Ukraine, negotiations on the EU's multiannual financial framework and Belarus' hybrid attacks against Lithuania.

The President emphasized that the European Council must adopt clear decisions on financing for Ukraine, including a reparations loan mechanism based on frozen Russian assets. He highlighted the need to strengthen support for Ukraine's energy sector and to accelerate work on the 20th sanctions package, which would target Russia's energy and financial sectors, as well as to support Ukraine's continued progress in the European integration process.

Regarding negotiations on the next multiannual financial framework, the President noted that the size of the EU budget must reflect increasing objectives and security needs. Lithuania supports a larger EU budget and views the protection of the eastern flank, military mobility projects, cohesion and agricultural policies as priority areas. The President underlined the importance of financing the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning program and the Kaliningrad transit scheme, as these constitute Lithuania's commitments under its EU accession treaty.

The President of Lithuania and the President of the European Council also discussed hybrid threats originating in Belarus. Gitanas Nausėda reported systematic airspace violations by Belarus through the release of smuggling balloons, which pose a threat to civil aviation and public order. He stressed the need to ensure a united EU response and to impose additional sanctions on Belarus for hybrid attacks.

Considerable attention was given to European security and defense issues during the conversation. The President welcomed the fact that the Eastern Flank Watch and the Drone Wall initiatives, included in European Council documents, will strengthen the EU's air defense and drone-resilience capabilities on the eastern flank, using the SAFE and EDIP instruments.