Steinmeier in Vilnius: Your security is our security
"Lithuania and Germany stand together for the freedom of Ukraine, for the principle of self-determination, for European unity - as partners in the EU and NATO," said Steinmeier.
President Gitanas Nausėda welcomed his German counterpart on Sunday and took to social media platform X to express his gratitude for the visit.
"The President's visit is a strong sign of the enduring friendship between Lithuania and Germany, based on shared values and strategic partnership," said Nausėda.
The two countries have recently strengthened their military ties as Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz looks to deliver on his campaign promises of bolstering continental security in the wake of Russian threats stemming from its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
From 2027, approximately 5,000 German soldiers from an armoured brigade will be permanently stationed in Lithuania to protect NATO's eastern flank and the Baltic country from Russia, whom it shares an almost 300 kilometre border with.
With the ongoing war in Ukraine, many in Lithuania, previously a Soviet satellite state, believe they could become the next targets of Russian President Vladimir Putin's expansionist mission.
Steinmeier acknowledged Lithuania's concerns, noting that "here in Lithuania you know that neither freedom nor peace is guaranteed. Freedom is not a condition. Freedom is a task."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
25 minutes ago
- LeMonde
Putin's choice of a long war in Ukraine
It was a powerful symbol. Just after speaking for two hours on Tuesday, July 1, with Emmanuel Macron – his first phone conversation with the French president in three years – Vladimir Putin then met in person with Yevgeny Pervyshov, governor of the oblast of Tambov, a small region 400 kilometers from Moscow. Pervyshov is one of the "heroes" of the invasion of Ukraine. As a reward for his military commitment, the former mayor and modest local MP, who volunteered to go to the front, was promoted to governor in November 2024. Since then, Pervyshov has been celebrated as a symbol: a figure of the new elite, decorated and honored, elevated after fighting. Although Putin had just repeated to Macron his argument about fighting the return of Nazism in Europe, the Russian president was able to show, through Pervyshov, that war and victory remain his priorities. The conversation with the French president − viewed with mockery in Russia as a weak European − went unnoticed in the country. By contrast, the meeting with the governor, upheld as a model, received wide coverage on television.
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
King Charles III will lead 20th-anniversary commemoration of the 7/7 London transit bombings
King Charles III will lead commemorations on Monday, July 7, on the 20 th anniversary of the 2005 London transit bombings, the deadliest attack on the British capital since World War II. 52 people died and more than 700 were wounded when four British men inspired by Al-Qaeda blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus during the morning rush hour on July 7, 2005. They were the first suicide bombings on European soil. Two weeks later, four other bombers attempted a similar attack, but their devices failed to explode. No one was hurt. The bombings remain seared into London's collective memory, and the anniversary will be marked with a ceremony at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park and a service of commemoration at St. Paul's Cathedral. In a message, the king said his "heartfelt thoughts and special prayers remain with all those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible summer's day." He said the country could take heart from the bravery of the emergency services and others who responded to the attack, and "the countless stories of extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day." Charles also hailed the "spirit of unity that has helped London, and our nation, to heal." "As we remember those we lost, let us, therefore, use this 20 th anniversary to reaffirm our commitment to building a society where people of all faiths and backgrounds can live together with mutual respect and understanding, always standing firm against those who would seek to divide us," he said. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said July 7, 2005 was one of Britain's "darkest days." She said that 20 years on, "Islamist extremist terrorism remains the greatest threat" to national security "followed by extreme right-wing terrorism." "But we also face hybrid threats to our national security from hostile states, serious organized crime, cyber criminals, those threatening our border security and a troubling rise in violence-fixated individuals radicalized online," she wrote in the Sunday Mirror newspaper, adding that the government would "relentlessly confront and counter threats to our national security."
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
Video. Mass Russian drone and missile attack strikes Ukraine overnight
Kyiv was the main target, with at least 23 people injured and damage reported across several residential areas. Fires and destruction were confirmed in five of the capital's ten districts, and railway infrastructure was also hit. Ukrainian air defences intercepted 270 incoming threats, while another 208 disappeared from radar, likely due to electronic jamming. The assault came just hours after US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and commented on the US decision to pause some shipments of weapons to Ukraine.
