Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland called on the international community to tighten sanctions against Russia. This is stated in a statement, published on the website of the office of the President of Ukraine.
The document notes that the presidents of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, Gitanas Naused, Andrzej Duda and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced “ongoing aggression against Ukraine” by Russia. Also, the leaders of the countries called on the Russian Federation to de-escalate and “withdraw troops from the Ukrainian borders and temporarily occupied territories.”
Among other things, Nauseda, Duda and Zelenskiy have expressed concern over the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. They noted that the project is allegedly a threat to European security. The presidents agreed to oppose the “monopolization of the European gas market by Russia, which uses energy as a geopolitical tool.”
In addition, the heads of Lithuania and Poland confirmed their support for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union (EU) and NATO. “The Presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland confirmed their clear commitment to further expand their cooperation on a wide range of issues such as security, defense, economy, energy and others, including within the framework of the Lublin Triangle format. The Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Poland confirm their full support for Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO, ”the text says.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow would retaliate if new sanctions were imposed by the United States. At the same time, the head of the department did not say what kind of reaction would follow from Russia. “If new, as they said, hellish sanctions follow, then, of course, we will react. We cannot but react, ”the minister promised. In his opinion, Russophobic sentiments in NATO and the EU do not allow Western states to move away from confrontation and do important things.
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