Lithuanian foreign minister arrives in Kyiv to discuss frontline situation and pressure on Russia
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys arrived in Kyiv on Monday 9 June for a working visit during which he will hold several meetings.
Source: Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by European Pravda
Details: During the visit, Budrys is set to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna, Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin and National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksandr Lytvynenko.
Meetings with Head of the Office of the President Andrii Yermak and Defence Minister Rustem Umierov are also planned.
"The minister will discuss the frontline situation, international efforts aimed at forcing Russia to cease fire and declare a truce as a prerequisite for peace negotiations," the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry stated.
Budrys also plans to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, priorities in military, diplomatic, financial and humanitarian support, Ukraine's progress in EU integration and measures to deter and counter Russia.
This is Budrys's third visit to Ukraine since assuming the post of foreign minister. His most recent visit took place on 1 April 2025.
Background:
In May, Budrys called on the EU to begin work on a new package of sanctions against Russia that would be truly effective.
He also stated that Russia has no right to impose its terms concerning Ukraine's future.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Russian barrage of drones and missiles hits beyond usual Ukraine targets
Still, the decoys have significant effects. Ukraine's military is forced to use its limited stockpiles of air defense missiles to counter Russia's large-scale assaults, which military experts and Ukrainian officials say are aimed at overwhelming Ukraine's air defense units on the ground. The air defense missiles are the only weapons capable of shooting down incoming missiles. Ukraine's air force said about 90 percent of the Russian drones were intercepted, were disabled by electronic jamming, or crashed without causing damage because they were decoys. But it added that only two-thirds of the missiles that Russia fired were shot down, including just one of seven ballistic missiles. These figures could not be independently verified. Advertisement It was unclear whether any civilians were killed during the overnight attack. But the Ukrainian air force reported the death of a pilot who crashed in his American-designed F-16 jet as he was trying to repel the Russian assault. Ukraine uses fighter jets to shoot down incoming missiles, for lack of enough ground-based air defenses. Advertisement The air force said the pilot had shot down seven aerial targets but went down with his jet after it was damaged in the attack. During nighttime attacks, Russia typically begins its assaults by sending waves of dozens of drones to strain Ukrainian air defenses, followed by missiles that are harder to intercept. A report released in May by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, an American think tank, said Russia had significantly ramped up its use of drones starting last fall, 'increasing from approximately 200 launched per week to more than 1,000 per week by March 2025 as part of a sustained pressure campaign.' Given the current pace of attacks, Russia may exceed 5,000 drone launches this month, which would set a record for the conflict, said Konrad Muzyka, a military analyst at Rochan Consulting in Poland. To support these attacks, Russia has dramatically increased its production of long-range drones. 'Moscow will not stop as long as it has the capability to launch massive strikes,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media Sunday, as he called again for Ukraine's allies to increase sanctions on the Russian economy to cripple its weapons production capacities. Zelensky has also been lobbying President Trump to let Ukraine purchase American-designed Patriot air defense systems, the only ones reliably capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. Trump suggested last week that he was open to sending more Patriots to Ukraine, although it was unclear whether he meant batteries or only ammunition, and whether these would be donated or sold. Advertisement Russia's new campaign of air assaults on Ukraine has also come with deadly consequences for civilians. The United Nations human rights office reported Sunday that civilian casualties in Ukraine had increased 37 percent in the period from December to May, compared with the same period the previous year, with 968 civilians killed and 4,807 injured. The majority of these casualties occurred in Ukrainian-controlled areas. 'The war in Ukraine — now in its fourth year — is becoming increasingly deadly for civilians,' Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said in a statement. This article originally appeared in
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Betting Market in Disarray Over Zelensky Suit That's Also Maybe Not a Suit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A major crypto-currency prediction market placed the odds of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wearing a suit before the end of June at just 3 percent on Sunday, with confusion reigning over the Ukrainian leader's attire days after he appeared to don a suit-style outfit for a series of meetings with world leaders. Polymarket, a platform that allows users to trade on the outcomes of real-world events using cryptocurrency, currently includes a market where users can place wagers on whether or not Zelensky will wear a suit before July. It was intended to resolve based on whether the Ukrainian leader was photographed or videotaped wearing a suit between May 22 and June 30, 2025. It attracted over $12 million in volume, but instead of resolving cleanly, it has ignited a furious debate online and among bettors, despite international news coverage and Polymarket's own descriptions seemingly confirming the appearance of a suit. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives ahead of a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives ahead of a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber Zelensky, attending the NATO summit in The Hague earlier this week, looked to choose a military-style yet formal blazer with a buttoned-up black shirt, including for his arrival to a formal dinner hosted by Dutch royalty on Tuesday. He also appeared alongside world leaders in the Netherlands in a black utility-style collared jacket, a noticeable departure from his wardrobe choices prior to his now-infamous and disastrous White House meeting in February. Zelensky chose a similar jacket for a meeting with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in London just ahead of the NATO summit. The Polymarket chance of Zelensky wearing a suit by July jumped to 19 percent the day after the summit ended. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street in London, Monday, June 23, 2025. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street in London, Monday, June 23, 2025. AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth The Ukrainian president's outfit choices have drawn persistent attention and occasionally criticism, not least during his ill-fated trip to the Oval Office earlier this year. Zelensky's team was repeatedly told by President Donald Trump's advisers that Zelensky should opt to swap out his typical khaki or black military dress when visiting the White House, Axios reported in late February, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the topic. "He's all dressed up today," Trump told cameras as he greeted Zelensky at the White House. Zelensky arrived dressed all in black — but not in a suit. Gathered with Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other senior administration officials, Zelensky was prodded by a reporter on why he had not donned a suit. The Ukrainian leader shoots back that he will wear a suit "after this war finishes." From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for photographers prior to a meeting on the sidelines of... From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for photographers prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. More AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert Zelensky typically wears military-style fatigues, or clothing boasting the Ukrainian trident, a nod to his role as a war-time leader showing solidarity with frontline troops, rather than a peace-time politician. There is a "political message" in Zelensky's choices, reminding the world he is a president representing a country actively at war, said Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee and a member of Zelensky's Servant of the People party. "Psychologically, the fact the President doesn't wear a suit might irritate only those who don't like Ukraine," Merezhko told Newsweek. "It's about them, not about what the President wears." Zelensky's dress should depend on the situation, Merezhko said. "While the war continues, the President should somehow in his attire to emphasize that he is commander in chief," he said. "In some rare cases he might wear a suit," but one adjusted to nod to the military, Merezhko added.
Chicago Tribune
8 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Russia launches the biggest aerial attack since the start of the war, Ukraine says
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian official said Sunday, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the 3-year-old war. Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. The onslaught was 'the most massive airstrike' on the country since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine's air force, told The Associated Press. The attack targeted several regions, including western Ukraine, far from the front line. Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the country's air force said. Three people were killed in each of the drone strikes in the Kherson, Kharkiv and the Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to the three governors. Another person was killed by an airstrike in Kostyantynivka, local officials said. In addition to aerial attacks, a man died when Russian troops shelled the city of Kherson, and the body of a 70-year-old woman was found under the rubble of a nine-story building hit by Russian shelling in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the far-western Lviv region, a large fire broke out at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych following a drone attack that also cut electricity to parts of the city. Ukraine's air force said one of its F-16 warplanes supplied by its Western partners crashed after sustaining damage while shooting down air targets. The pilot died. Russia's Defense Ministry said it had shot down three Ukrainian drones overnight. Two people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Bryansk in western Russia, regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said Sunday morning, adding that seven more Ukrainian drones had been shot down over the region. Meanwhile, Russia claimed Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. Russian forces have been slowly grinding forward at some points on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, though their incremental gains have been costly in terms of troop casualties and damaged armor. In other developments, Russia's foreign intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, said he had spoken on the phone with his U.S. counterpart, CIA Director John Ratcliffe. 'I had a phone call with my American counterpart and we reserved for each other the possibility to call at any time and discuss issues of interest to us,' Naryshkin said in remarks to state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin, who posted them on his Telegram channel on Sunday. Sunday's attacks follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments two days ago that Moscow is ready for a fresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul. Two recent rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and yielded no progress on reaching a settlement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to withdraw Ukraine from the Ottawa Convention banning antipersonnel land mines, a Ukrainian lawmaker said Sunday. The move follows similar recent steps by the Baltic states and Poland. The 1997 treaty prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel land mines in an effort to protect civilians from explosives that can maim or kill long after fighting ends. 'This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded,' said Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence. He noted that Russia is not a party to the convention 'and is massively using mines against our military and civilians.'
