Ukraine and Lithuania will never recognize territories occupied by Russia, say foreign ministers

This was announced by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Lithuania, Andriy Sybiga and Kestutis Budrys, at a press conference in Kyiv, as reported by an Ukrinform correspondent.

Sibikha noted that he informed his Lithuanian counterpart about the results of the negotiations in Saudi Arabia and emphasized Ukraine’s principled position: “We will never recognize the territories seized by Russia, we will not agree to any restrictions on our army or defense capability, and we will never allow our choice of allies and alliances to be blocked.”

Sybiga also assured his Lithuanian partner that Kyiv’s principles of “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” and “Nothing about Yura without Yura” remain unchanged.

Budrys, in turn, emphasized that the only effective way to conduct negotiations is to put pressure on Russia.

“We fully respect Ukraine's sovereignty on its internationally recognized borders. Lithuania will never recognize any illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories, neither today, nor tomorrow, nor in the future. We see the only effective lever and the only productive way to negotiate – pressure on Russia, including further sanctions and more effective use of frozen assets,” the head of Lithuanian diplomacy said.

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