Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says that any peace settlement in Ukraine must involve Kyiv and come with more defense spending by regional countries to deter future Russian aggression.

NATO has said its pledge for tens of billions of dollars in security aid for Ukraine will be fulfilled by the end of 2025. The alliance announced on Wednesday that 40 billion euros ($41.6 billion) which had been agreed by the bloc's 32 members during its Washington, D.C. summit last July would be sent to Kyiv this year.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense confirmed the arrival of MANPADS in Ukraine, outlining ongoing military assistance and support initiatives for 2025.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that a peacekeeping mission consisting of military contingents only from European countries will not cope with the

Lithuania seems to be sending a message that it will continue its support for Ukraine whether the U.S. continues to do so or not.

Co-funded by the EU, Denmark, and Lithuania, the Ukraine2EU program will assist Ukraine's institutions in better coordinating the EU accession process and implementing the necessary reforms, the Lithuanian Central Project Management Agency (CPMA) said in a press release.

"Keeping Ukraine safe means taking care of our security. We have as much time as Ukraine has," Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene said.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, concerns over the security of energy and communication infrastructure in the Baltic Sea intensified. Initially, focus was placed on the threat of hybrid attacks from Russia.

Lithuania plans to dramatically increase defense spending to 5-6 percent of its GDP by 2026, citing the persistent threat of Russian aggression

Lithuanian Customs has decided to hand over cars confiscated on the border with Belarus to Ukraine as humanitarian aid. We are talking about those cars that were used to smuggle cigarettes.

Lithuania has provided Ukraine with short-range man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and accompanying missiles, the country's Ministry of National Defense reported on Jan. 30.