Lithuania is in the top 15 of military donors to Ukraine, according to various estimates, says Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence. He would like to see Lithuania in the top 10, however.
“The fundamental strategic imperative is that Ukrainians are fighting for us on their soil, and every day, every week that the Russian army is in trouble and suffers huge losses pushes away the possibility of any military conflict in the Baltic States,” Kasciunas told reporters after his committee and Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas discussed Lithuania’s assistance to Ukraine in a closed-door meeting on May 25.
The Defence Ministry has announced that Lithuania is preparing a new aid shipment worth 15.5 million euros to Ukraine, consisting of 20 M113 armoured personnel carriers, ten military trucks and ten mine clearance SUVs.
Anusauskas told reporters after the meeting that the new shipment would bring the total value of Lithuania’s military assistance to Ukraine to around 115 million euros.
He confirmed that Lithuania was also contributing to helping Ukraine in the treatment and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, but did not specify how many soldiers were receiving treatment in Lithuania.
The committee also discussed a mission to train Ukrainian demining instructors in Lithuania.
“The demining mission in Lithuania will be based on the principle of training the trainers,” Kasciunas said.
“We will train instructors who will then prepare people in Ukraine to work on the ground,” he said. “In the near future, two groups are planning to come from Ukraine. Our people will train them here, and then they will go back to Ukraine and train their own people.”
It will take decades to clear Ukraine’s territory of mines after the Russian invasion, according to Kasciunas.
“Ukrainians say they may need around 100 billion euro worth of military assistance to be able to wage a full-scale war for a long time,” the MP said.
“The American lend-lease project provides $30 billion for military support, a huge package but not half of what Ukraine might need. The EU’s support so far amounts to 2 billion euros,” he said. “Of course, it is up to the big Western countries to provide that support, but it is also up to us to lead by example.”
Lithuania has so far provided Ukraine with Stinger air defence systems, anti-tank weapons, armoured vests and helmets, 120mm mortars, small arms, ammunition, thermal imaging cameras, drones, anti-drones and surveillance radars. (LRT/Business World Magazine)