LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 6, 2023
- Lithuanian president to discuss Ukraine’s NATO membership perspective with B9 leaders
- Five more Lithuanians have left to fight in Ukraine (media)
- LRT Council to make 2nd attempt at electing Lithuanian public broadcaster's CEO
- Lithuania reports 76 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
- Man detained in Vilnius after throwing bag of trash into Russian Embassy’s territory
- Allegations must be investigated, but GIPL must operate continuously – Lithuanian advisor
- Standard & Poor’s affirms Lithuania's credit rating at A+
- Lithuania's Oro Navigacija to install new drone traffic management system for EUR 2.5 mln
- Snap election proposed instead of "Golgotha for three ministers" – Lithuanian formin
- Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime
- Gas prices for households to fall by several cents from July in Lithuania
- Lithuanian parlt votes down snap election proposal
- Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime (expands)
- Lithuanian parlt votes down snap election proposal (expands)
- Coalition partners, HU-LCD presidium to decide on govt's fate – Landsbergis
- I allowed myself a bit too much when speaking about resignation – Lithuanian PM
- I allowed myself a bit too much when speaking about resignation – Lithuanian PM (expands)
- Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime (further expands)
- Lithuanian formin turns to ICC over Minsk's role in deporting Ukrainian children
- Lithuania's LRT Council again fails to elect director general
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 6, 2023
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 6, 2023:
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to take part in a Bucharest Nine summit with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Bratislava.
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Lithuanian president to discuss Ukraine’s NATO membership perspective with B9 leaders
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Tuesday will leave for Bratislava to discuss Ukraine’s NATO membership perspective and the strengthening of the eastern flank of the Alliance with the leaders of the so-called Bucharest Nine (B9) countries.
“I have no doubt that all countries will agree that Ukraine's place is in NATO and that the political path for membership must be defined at the Vilnius summit,” Kestutis Budrys, Lithuanian president’s adviser on national security issues, told BNS.
Ukraine says it understands that it will not be admitted to the Alliance while the war continues, but wants the allies to clearly define the path to membership.
According to Budrys, "all the intensity is just beginning" in preparing the wording of the Vilnius summit declaration.
The leaders of nine countries meeting in Bratislava will also talk about the strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank, including the objective to transform NATO's Baltic air policing mission into a defense one.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will also attend the meeting on Tuesday.
Nauseda will also express the expectation that delegations from 32 allies will come to the Vilnius summit in July.
The B9 is a political cooperation platform of nine Central and Eastern European countries for strengthening the Euro-Atlantic security.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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Five more Lithuanians have left to fight in Ukraine (media)
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Five more Lithuanians have left to fight in Ukraine, which continues to resist Russia’s invasion, and have already reached a military unit, the 15min news portal reported on Tuesday.
According to Laurynas Baltrunas, a representative of the Lithuanian Legion, which handled the selection and preparations, all five have military training: have completed compulsory initial military service, served in the Lithuanian Armed Forces, national defense system forces or were part of the combat riflemen.
The Lithuanians have joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine.
According to the portal, up to 20 Lithuanians are serving in Ukraine at any one time, and the number varies.
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LRT Council to make 2nd attempt at electing Lithuanian public broadcaster's CEO
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The LRT Council on Tuesday will make the second attempt at electing the next director general of the Lithuanian public broadcaster.
Those vying for the post are Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene, the incumbent who is seeking a second term in office, and Aistis Zabarauskas, a communications strategist.
These candidates were the top contenders in the first selection, which took place in March but ended in failure as each of them received six votes from the LRT Council members.
At least seven members of the 12-strong LRT Council have to vote in favor of a candidate for him or her to be selected for the job.
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Lithuania reports 76 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 76 new coronavirus infections and one death from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Tuesday morning.
The 14-day primary infection rate has edged down to 24.2 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 7.5 percent.
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals now stands at 44, including one ICU case.
The daily number of new coronavirus cases remains well below the peak of over 14,000 reached in early February 2022.
Around 1.19 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.
Some 69.8 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far.
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Man detained in Vilnius after throwing bag of trash into Russian Embassy’s territory
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – A man who threw a bag with trash into the territory of the Russian Embassy was detained in Vilnius, police reported on Tuesday.
The man, born in 2002, was detained a little after 10 p.m. on Monday.
The police have collected evidence under a Criminal Code article providing for liability for breach of public order.
The Police Department did not indicate the specific embassy in its summary of events but its spokeswoman, Revita Janaviciute, told BNS that the incident took place at Russia’s diplomatic mission.
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Allegations must be investigated, but GIPL must operate continuously – Lithuanian advisor
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Allegations that Russian fittings might have been used during the construction of the strategically important Gas Interconnection Poland–Lithuania (GIPL), launched in May 2022, must be investigated, a presidential advisor says after the Lithuanian news website 15min.lt found in cooperation with its partners from several countries that Russian parts might have been used.
Nevertheless, it's important to ensure that the pipeline operates uninterrupted, Jaroslav Neverovic, an advisor to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on environment and infrastructure matters, underlined.
"If there are any problems with standards, certificates, and there are suspicions, that information must be checked, investigated, and appropriate decisions must be made," Neverovic told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Tuesday.
"This is a strategic project with significance not only for Lithuania but also for Poland (...). We believe we need to continue ensuring that this pipeline continues operating uninterruptedly, and those challenges regarding certificates, standards and possibly fittings, if they do not meet them (standards – BNS), the company itself (Amber Grid, Lithuania's gas transmission system operator,- BNS) will discuss decisions and make them," the presidential advisor added.
In his words, Amber Grid should also make plans for the replacement of all the GIPL fittings that do not meet the standards and the highest requirements.
In July 2022, the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office launched a pre-trial investigation into document forgery and fraud during the GIPL construction, and the project's contracting authorities, Lithuania's state-owned natural gas transmission system operator Amber Grid and its shareholder Epso-G, are drawing up crisis management plans, 15min reported earlier on Monday.
The ongoing investigation now centers around the main version that Alvora found several European companies to use their quality certificates to disguise the fact that fittings were in fact made by and bought from ChelPipe, a Russian company, which Alvora denies.
By Giedrius Gaidamavičius
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Standard & Poor’s affirms Lithuania's credit rating at A+
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – International credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings has left Lithuania's long-term borrowing rating unchanged at A+ with a negative outlook, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.
According to the ministry’s press release, the agency’s experts took a positive view of Lithuania’s fiscal policy, the country’s membership in the euro area and NATO, as well as a relatively stable and low level of public debt in the latest agency’s report on Lithuania.
The ministry said that the agency’s experts had assessed Lithuania’s situation as stable and therefore decided not to take any rating action, and to issue a report instead.
“Over the past few weeks, three credit rating agencies have affirmed Lithuania’s borrowing ratings. They base their decisions on the country’s fiscal and macroeconomic policies and low level of public debt. This indicates that the agencies do not see any significant changes at the moment and consider the country’s situation as stable,” the press release quoted Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste as saying.
In their report, Standard & Poor’s analysts take note of the persistently low level of public debt and expect Lithuania’s budget deficit to widen to 2.5 percent of GDP this year, from 0.6 percent last year, before going down to 1.1 percent by 2026. Meanwhile, public debt is projected to somewhat exceed 30 percent of GDP this year while inflation is seen moderating to 8.7 percent in 2023.
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Lithuania's Oro Navigacija to install new drone traffic management system for EUR 2.5 mln
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Oro Navigacija (Air Navigation), Lithuania's state-owned air navigation service provider, will install a new traffic management system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a cost of 2.5 million euros by the summer of 2024, allowing drone users to use the airspace more easily.
Oro Navigacija said it had signed a contract with Austria’s Frequentis to jointly deploy the U-Space system, which would provide general information, flight confirmation, traffic information and other services to UAV users via a mobile application.
“Given the increased number of drones, it is important to have a system in place that allows to monitor the airspace in real time, obtain information about the flights of unmanned aerial vehicles, and control them – to approve them or grant them permission to fly," a press release from Oro Navigacija quoted its CEO, Saulius Batavicius, as saying.
The new system will allow to assess weather conditions, see other traffic participants in real time, reserve a flight area, and reduce potential negative impacts on the environment and privacy.
In addition, the new system will integrate emergency services, commercial enterprises and institutions that may also be concerned about drone traffic information.
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Snap election proposed instead of "Golgotha for three ministers" – Lithuanian formin
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, says the proposal to hold an early parliament election is an attempt "to find a common political response to the unprecedented situation after the flawed accounting of the funds allocated for politicians' activities raised questions about the foundations of the whole political system in Lithuania".
"To achieve a higher standard than law enforcement's indulgence or allegations, I invite you to support the political system's reset through the renewal of voter confidence. So you have a very simple choice: a general amnesty or a reset through voter confidence," Landsbergis told lawmakers on Tuesday when presenting a bill on holding a span election on September 10.
The HU-LCD is proposing a snap election in response to media investigations into possible misuse of funds given to local government politicians for their office needs.
Criticizing politicians' skeptical attitude towards an early election, Landsbergis said that "everybody is fine with a Golgotha for three ministers for everyone's receipt sins, or with Mindaugas Sinkevicius, the hero of the story of two TV sets who has again secured backing of mayors (the Social Democrat mayor of Jonava who has recently been reelected as chairman of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania - BNS)".
"Some people within the opposition or close to it may have wanted easy answers to difficult questions: the ritual sacrifice of lambs without going into the details or the regulations that were in force, or any other circumstances in retrospect, they wanted three heads in the government and everything is fine, everything is lawful, let's continue working. The Seimas supposedly has nothing to do with this, even though some people bought Porsche tires, using money given to local councilors for officials activities, or used parliamentary funds to by flowers from their sister for 400 euros“, Landsbergis said.
In response to allegations she might have misused funds, Education Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene, representing the HU-LCD, resigned in May. Some politicians then also demanded the resignation of her fellow party member Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste and Culture Minister Simonas Kairys of the Liberal Movement, also part of the ruling coalition.
The ruling coalition partners and some members of the opposition are skeptical about the early election initiative, and HU-LCD members are also split on the issue. Speaking on Monday after a meeting of the HU-LCD presidium, Landsbergis confirmed that there would be no obligation for the HU-LCD political group in the Seimas to support the early election motion.
Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said earlier she will resign in the middle of July, if the early election bid failed to garner support. This would also mean the resignation of the entire Cabinet.
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Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has slammed the blowing up of a major dam in Ukraine as a war crime and called to hold the Kremlin to account.
“Today we witness an unprecedented Russian attack against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. The destruction of a major dam is a crime of war that directly threatens thousands of people,” he said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
“Russia must be held accountable for it,” Nauseda wrote in comments about the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam sitting on the Dnipro river.
Images circulating on social media this morning show a massive breach in the dam, with water already unleashed across the war zone and flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stressed that “terrorists do not stop unless they are stopped”.
“They don't negotiate with anything except force. They cause huge catastrophes without regret. I'll say it again: lasting peace in Europe requires a Ukrainian victory both on the battlefield and in court. Nothing else will work,” he said in a Twitter post.
Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russia’s forces of deliberately blowing the dam up. However, Russian officials countered that the Kakhovka dam was damaged by Ukrainian military strikes in the contested area.
The fallout could have broad consequences: flooding homes, streets and businesses downstream; depleting water levels upstream that help cool Europe’s largest nuclear power plant; and draining supplies of drinking water to the south in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed.
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Gas prices for households to fall by several cents from July in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuania's National Energy Regulatory Council on Tuesday approved plans to cut natural gas prices for households by 4-5 cents per cubic meter for the second half of the year.
Following the approval of the tariffs submitted by Lithuania's gas supplier Ignitis, the gas tariff for the first consumer group that uses the lowest amount of gas, will amount to 1.36 euros with the state compensation as of July 1,compared to the existing 1.4 euros.
The second group including households heating their homes with gas –will see the gas price drop to 87 cents, from 92 cents, and the third consuming the largest amount of gas ill see their tariff go down to 83 cents, from 88 cents.
Last week, NERC chairman Renatas Pocius said a drop of gas prices on the market was behind lower gas tariffs.
Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said earlier that despite lower gas prices on the market, households still state compensation for natural gas as gas prices for the second half of this year still include more expensive gas purchased through hedging transactions and also other constituents.
Last week, the Lithuanian government backed a proposal to extend the existing state natural gas price compensation for households for the second half of the year. The compensation will amount to 63 cents per cubic meter, instead of the existing 99 cents, and will require 54.48 million euros from unused state borrowings in the first half of the year.
By Giedrius Gaidamavičius
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
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Lithuanian parlt votes down snap election proposal
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The Seimas of Lithuania on Tuesday voted down a proposal to hold a snap parliament election on September 10 after 66 lawmakers voted against, 61 was in favor and eight MPs abstained.
Presenting the bill earlier in the day, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, said a snap election was needed to reset the political system.
"To achieve a higher standard than law enforcement's indulgence or allegations, I invite you to support the political system's reset through the renewal of voter confidence. So you have a very simple choice: a general amnesty or a reset through voter confidence," Landsbergis told lawmakers on Tuesday when presenting a bill on holding a span election on September 10.
The HU-LCD proposed a snap election in response to media investigations into possible misuse of funds given to local government politicians for their office needs.
Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said earlier she will resign in the middle of July, if the early election bid failed to garner support. This would also mean the resignation of the entire Cabinet.
By Milena Andrukaitytė
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Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime (expands)
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has slammed the blowing up of a major dam in Ukraine as a war crime and called to hold the Kremlin to account.
“Today we witness an unprecedented Russian attack against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. The destruction of a major dam is a crime of war that directly threatens thousands of people,” he said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
“Russia must be held accountable for it,” Nauseda wrote in comments about the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam sitting on the Dnipro river.
Images circulating on social media this morning show a massive breach in the dam, with water already unleashed across the war zone and flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stressed that “terrorists do not stop unless they are stopped”.
“They don't negotiate with anything except force. They cause huge catastrophes without regret. I'll say it again: lasting peace in Europe requires a Ukrainian victory both on the battlefield and in court. Nothing else will work,” he said in a Twitter post.
Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania, said that fear and desperation were forcing Russia “to commit new war crimes”.
“This time, copying Hitler's actions and no longer hiding, it is the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam. Terrified that a Ukrainian counter-attack would be particularly painful, the Kremlin seems to have decided to leave no war crimes uncommitted,” she said in a Facebook post.
Cmilyte-Nielsen stressed that Russia would have to answer for those actions.
"The current decisions of the Russian government and the indifference of the public to war crimes in Ukraine will lead to long and painful decades of guilt", she stressed.
The Lithuanian parliamentary speaker said she had contacted her Ukrainian counterpart, Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Verkhovna Rada.
“We will react with all the means we can realize, we will call on powerful Western countries to help Ukraine win as soon as possible. Helping Ukraine to defend itself is the task of yesterday,” she added.
Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russia’s forces of deliberately blowing the dam up. However, Russian officials countered that the Kakhovka dam was damaged by Ukrainian military strikes in the contested area.
The fallout could have broad consequences: flooding homes, streets and businesses downstream; depleting water levels upstream that help cool Europe’s largest nuclear power plant; and draining supplies of drinking water to the south in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed.
By Augustas Stankevičius
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian parlt votes down snap election proposal (expands)
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The Seimas of Lithuania on Tuesday voted down a proposal to hold a snap parliament election on September 10 after 66 lawmakers voted against, 61 was in favor and eight MPs abstained.
The motion failed to receive backing from part of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats who initiated it as 34 members of the party's group in the Seimas voted in favor, 14 were against and two MPs abstained.
The other two coalition partners, the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party, were unanimously against.
16 members of the opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union voted in favor as they had been mandated by the party's leadership to do so. But one member voted against and one abstained.
The majority of the opposition Social Democrats voted in favor as nine voted in favor and two against, while all one member of the opposition group of Democrats "For Lithuania" was in favor and all other 14 members voted against.
Eight members of the Labor Party's group voted against a snap election, and six members of the non-attached group voted in favor, two were two against and two abstained.
A simple majority would have been sufficient to approve the motion during the initial hearing, and 85 votes would have needed for its adoption.
Presenting the bill earlier in the day, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, said a snap election was needed to reset the political system.
"To achieve a higher standard than law enforcement's indulgence or allegations, I invite you to support the political system's reset through the renewal of voter confidence. So you have a very simple choice: a general amnesty or a reset through voter confidence," Landsbergis told lawmakers on Tuesday when presenting a bill on holding a span election on September 10.
The HU-LCD proposed a snap election in response to media investigations into possible misuse of funds given to local government politicians for their office needs.
Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said earlier she will resign in the middle of July, if the early election bid failed to garner support. This would also mean the resignation of the entire Cabinet.
By Milena Andrukaitytė
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Coalition partners, HU-LCD presidium to decide on govt's fate – Landsbergis
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The coalition partners, the presidium of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte's decision will decide the Cabinet's fate, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the HU-LCD, said on Tuesday after the parliament voted down the HU-LCD's initiated motion to hold a snap election on September 10.
"The presidium's discussion is very important, and also the path the party and the coalition partners see. We can see that we have a little more than a year to go before next year's election, and we can also see what the expectations are, what the possibilities are, and what should be done," Landsbergis told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.
"We have listened to the government's report, and in fact, there were no major criticism or demands for change from the opposition, or great dissatisfaction. A number of committees have unanimously approved the government's report, which means there's also a consensus on the direction," he said.
By Jūratė Skėrytė
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I allowed myself a bit too much when speaking about resignation – Lithuanian PM
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says she allowed herself a little too much when she said earlier she would resign if the parliament voted down an early election motion, adding that the final decision will be made by the presidium of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats.
"I probably allowed myself a bit too much when I said that because I am not in the government on my own, but the presidium has made the decision to consider this issue, so the presidium will consider this issue in any case," Simonyte told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.
By Milena Andrukaitytė
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I allowed myself a bit too much when speaking about resignation – Lithuanian PM (expands)
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says she allowed herself a little too much when she said earlier she would resign if the parliament voted down an early election motion, adding that the final decision will be made by the presidium of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats.
"I probably allowed myself a bit too much when I said that because I am not in the government on my own, but the presidium has made the decision to consider this issue, so the presidium will consider this issue in any case," Simonyte told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the Seimas of Lithuania voted down a proposal to hold a snap parliament election on September 10, initiated by the HU-LCD, after 66 lawmakers voted against, 61 was in favor and eight MPs abstained.
The prime minister earlier vowed to resign in the middle of July, if the early election motion were voted down. This would also mean the resignation of the entire Cabinet.
"I am not personally in the government, I am delegated by the party, and my decisions, whatever they may be, will still have to be discussed by the presidium. When the presidium discusses it, then I will announce my decision," the prime minister said, explaining the change in her position on Tuesday.
Asked whether she wanted to remain prime minister, Simonyte said: "I am working".
By Milena Andrukaitytė
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Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime (further expands)
(Expanded version: adds the prime ministers comment, new paras 13-14)
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has slammed the blowing up of a major dam in Ukraine as a war crime and called to hold the Kremlin to account.
“Today we witness an unprecedented Russian attack against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. The destruction of a major dam is a crime of war that directly threatens thousands of people,” he said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
“Russia must be held accountable for it,” Nauseda wrote in comments about the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam sitting on the River Dnipro.
Images circulating on social media this morning show a massive breach in the dam, with water already unleashed across the war zone and flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stressed that “terrorists do not stop unless they are stopped”.
“They don't negotiate with anything except force. They cause huge catastrophes without regret. I'll say it again: lasting peace in Europe requires a Ukrainian victory both on the battlefield and in court. Nothing else will work,” he said in a Twitter post.
Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania, said that fear and desperation were forcing Russia “to commit new war crimes”.
“This time, copying Hitler's actions and no longer hiding, it is the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam. Terrified that a Ukrainian counter-attack would be particularly painful, the Kremlin seems to have decided to leave no war crimes uncommitted,” she said in a Facebook post.
Cmilyte-Nielsen stressed that Russia would have to answer for those actions.
"The current decisions of the Russian government and the indifference of the public to war crimes in Ukraine will lead to long and painful decades of guilt", she stressed.
The Lithuanian parliamentary speaker said she had contacted her Ukrainian counterpart, Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Verkhovna Rada.
“We will react with all the means we can realize, we will call on powerful Western countries to help Ukraine win as soon as possible. Helping Ukraine to defend itself is the task of yesterday,” she added.
For her part, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says Russia's actions only encourage countries to provide additional support to Ukraine.
"This way, in fact, Russia is only strengthening support to Ukraine. I don't know if they take this into account when making their decisions, but apparently they are so full of hatred that people just don't care," she told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday, adding that Russia had many times demonstrated cruelty and inhumanity during the war.
Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russia’s forces of deliberately blowing the dam up. However, Russian officials countered that the Kakhovka dam was damaged by Ukrainian military strikes in the contested area.
The fallout could have broad consequences: flooding homes, streets and businesses downstream; depleting water levels upstream that help cool Europe’s largest nuclear power plant; and draining supplies of drinking water to the south in Crimea that is illegally annexed by Russia.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 645 093 86, Vilnius newsroom
Lithuanian formin turns to ICC over Minsk's role in deporting Ukrainian children
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has written to Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim A. A. Khan regarding Belarus' role in helping Russia commit war crimes.
To ensure full accountability for the war crimes and other most serious crimes in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, "actions of Russia’s accomplices, which are aiding and abetting Russia in its war crimes, should also be taken into account, and their role in contributing to these crimes brought to light", the letter reads.
Lithuania's top diplomat also forwarded to the ICC prosecutor information gathered by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on the involvement of the Belarusian political elite and state-owned enterprises in the relocation of children from Ukraine to the territory of Belarus, the Foreign Ministry said.
Lithuania turned to the International Criminal Court as early as February 2020, highlighting the Belarusian regime's apparent involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Thousands of children have been illegally removed from Ukraine since the start of Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine, and the vast majority of them have been taken from the occupied southern and eastern regions of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, some 15,000 children have been abducted and taken from the occupied territories by the Russians.
Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's ombudsperson for the protection of children's rights, for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
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Lithuania's LRT Council again fails to elect director general
VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS - The Council of Lithuania's public broadcaster LRT on Tuesday again failed to elect its director general after both candidates – incumbent Director General Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene and Aistis Zabarauskas – each received the same number of votes, Eugenijus Valatka, chair of the 12-member LRT Council said.
"Unfortunately, no candidate received the required seven votes," Valatka told reporters, adding that two votes were held on Tuesday and in both cases the two candidates received six votes each.
On June 20, the LRT Council will hold a meeting to decide on the announcement of a new competition for the position, Valatka said, adding that the new competition could be announced in September.
Garbaciauskaite-Budriene has led the LRT for the past five years.
Garbaciauskaite-Budriene and Zabarauskas were also the strongest contenders in the first selection that took place in March. The Council then also failed to elect the director general after receiving the same number of votes each.
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 7, 2023
VILNIUS, Jun 07, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 7, 2023:
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to meet with Tony Murphy, president of the European Court of Auditors, at 10 a.m.; to have working lunch with Karen Ellemann, secretary general of the Nordic Council of Ministers, at noon; interview with the delfi.lt news website at 4.15 p.m.; to attend an event to mark the US Independence Day at 5 p.m.
THE CABINET to hold its regular meeting and sitting at 1 p.m.
JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend an official reception at the US Embassy in Lithuanian at 4.30 p.m.
FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to attend a meeting of the OECD Council at Ministerial Level in Paris.
INTERIOR MINISTER Agne Bilotaite, AGRICULTURE MINISTER Kestutis navickas and Rolandas KIskis, head of the Financial Crime Investigation Service, to discus ways to prevent the embezzlement of EU funds at 11 a.m.; to attend an official reception at the US Embassy in Lithuanian at 4.30 p.m.
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