Vilnius, April 11 (AFP/APP):Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday that he had arrived in Lithuania for talks with Central and Eastern European leaders on support for his war-torn country.
The visit comes as Moscow has ramped up its aerial bombardments on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks, prompting Kyiv to renew its appeals for fresh Western military aid.
“The main thing now is to do everything to strengthen our air defence, to meet the urgent needs of the defence forces of Ukraine, as well as to consolidate international support,” Zelensky said on social media.
Lithuania, one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, on Thursday hosts leaders of the Three Seas Initiative, a regional alliance bringing together EU member states situated between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas.
The presidents of Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic are among those expected to attend.
Zelensky also is due to hold talks with his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nauseda, focused primarily on Ukraine’s needs as the military support from Western allies falters.
Both leaders will discuss the situation on the front lines and the need for military and financial assistance as well as Ukraine’s prospects for NATO membership, the Lithuanian presidency said in a statement.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, Zelensky has been a rare guest abroad, but he has now visited Lithuania three times after Moscow’s all-out assault in 2022.
He was in Vilnius for NATO summit last July, and visited Lithuania this January to ask Western partners for military aid.
