On Monday, Lithuania’s Government took the decision to allocate and immediately release 10 Million Euros for restoration work in Ukraine. The monies are planned to be used in meeting the basic services of citizens, and in replacing critical infrastructure.
Last week, the Lithuanian Prime Minister had said publicly that she had planned to make this donation a reality in the near future and noted that ““Our military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine will continue until Ukraine wins this war. I hope it will help Ukraine to achieve victory faster.”
Infrastructure, before the war, was not in the best of shape, however the nation’s total concentration in national defense has gutted financing for other domestic projects, such as infrastructure maintenance.
Lithuania, a stalwart ally of Ukraine since even before the war started, is currently facing challenges back home with its European Union neighbors about how sanctions are to be implemented against Russia. Per treaties signed decades ago, Lithuania had allowed Russia to transfer specific goods from Russia to its exclave of Kaliningrad. However, following the introduction of European sanctions against Russia, Lithuania determined that 1-2% of the goods that had regularly cruised across Lithuanian territory must now be prohibited entry.
The resultant uproar from Russia and Belarus, whose leader Alexander Lukashenko referred to Lithuania’s decision as “an act of war” caused speculation that Lithuania would back down on its commitment to implement the sanctions. However, quite the opposite: Lithuania has told other nations, specifically Germany, that even with EU approval to bypass the sanctions, Vilnius plans to firmly maintain the prohibition on the Russian goods.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 25, 2024
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