The foreign affairs committees of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have issued a joint statement expressing their full support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, as well as for its membership in the European Union and NATO.

Source : Žygis Pavilionis, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament, on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda

Details : The committee meeting took place on Friday 6 June, in Birstonas, Lithuania. In the final document, the parties confirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and stressed that Ukraine's victory over Russia and its accession to NATO are key conditions for a just and lasting peace in Europe.

They also noted that Ukraine's membership in NATO would provide a solid foundation for Euro-Atlantic security and stressed that Russia's full-scale war is a gross violation of international law, the UN Charter and basic human rights norms.

To quote the countries' statement and five key commitments they declared:

1. To support Ukraine until its full victory, including the liberation of all temporarily occupied territories, accountability for war crimes, and full implementation of international justice; 
2. To support Ukraine’s membership in the European Union, with the goal of concluding accession negotiations and welcoming Ukraine as a full member of the European Union by 1 January 2030; 
3. To support Ukraine’s path towards NATO membership, in line with the decisions of the Bucharest (2008), Vilnius (2023), and Washington (2024) NATO Summits, which clearly affirmed that Ukraine’s future is in NATO. We call on the upcoming 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague to take concrete political steps that would pave the way for Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance; 
4. To welcome the growing practical defence cooperation between Ukraine and likeminded partners and to encourage an invitation for Ukraine to join the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) as a meaningful step towards deeper regional security integration; 
5. To continue diplomatic and political efforts to isolate russia [the name of the aggressor country was deliberately written with a lowercase letter – ed.] and its supporters in the war within international organisations, to expand and tighten sanctions regimes, and to ensure full legal and political accountability for the crimes committed against Ukraine.

The committees of the three countries also called on other parliaments, international institutions and governments to support this statement and take appropriate steps towards Ukraine's victory, its reconstruction and full integration into the Euro-Atlantic community.

Background :

• A NATO summit will be held in The Hague at the end of June. As European Pravda reported earlier, NATO leaders are preparing to adopt a decision to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, part of which will be allowed to support Ukraine. This could significantly strengthen the defence capabilities of the Ukrainian defence forces.
• The new spending target is expected to be divided as follows: 3.5% of GDP for direct military needs and another 1.5% for broader security projects, including infrastructure.
• Some NATO countries, such as Canada and Luxembourg, may use aid to Ukraine as part of their new commitments to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP.

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