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Lithuania Will Never Back Down From Supporting Ukraine’s NATO Membership, Says Defense Minister
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė has reaffirmed her country’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s accession to NATO, stating that Lithuania “will never back down” from the belief that Ukraine must become a member of the Alliance.
In an interview with Politico on June 10, Šakalienė emphasized that decisions on NATO enlargement must be made by the Alliance itself—not by the Kremlin.
“If anyone else besides the alliance decides who is the member of alliance, then the credibility of the alliance is seriously breached,” she said.
The minister also underscored Lithuania’s position that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should attend the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague.
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Šakalienė also warned that Russia’s war against Ukraine is part of a broader effort to destabilize the international order.
“The new axis of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are cooperating very efficiently in their plan to end the current world order," she said, calling on the expected one-page NATO leaders' declaration from The Hague to reflect the danger of the moment.
She called on NATO leaders to acknowledge the scale of the threat in the joint declaration expected at the summit. Lithuanian Defense Minister added that the United States, together with its allies and partners, may be required to deter—and, if necessary, defeat—both Russia and China at the same time.
Earlier, NATO Admiral Pierre Vandier praised Ukraine’s June 1 drone strike, known as Operation Spiderweb, describing it as a powerful demonstration of how innovation and adaptability are essential to achieving success in today’s rapidly evolving battlefield.
