Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Shimonite said , that Vilnius is ready to send military personnel on a training mission to Ukraine, the Ukrainian agency Ukrinform reported. The prime minister of the country made her statement in an interview with the "Financial Times", writes BTA.
Shimonet said there is a parliamentary decision to send troops to Ukraine on a training mission, but Kiev has so far not made such a request.
As for the possible reaction from Russia if Lithuania decided to send its soldiers to Ukraine, Shimonite said that Moscow would consider this a provocation.
"If we only think about Russia's reaction, we won't be able to send anything," she said.
At the same time, Shimonite expressed doubts about the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, since in such a case the radioactive waste would also affect the territory of Lithuania.
Russia is stepping up its attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, such as power plants, schools and hospitals, to trigger a new wave of refugees from the country, according to the prime minister. She pointed out that Lithuania will not search for or deport Ukrainian men of legal age and added that the EU has guaranteed them temporary protection until March 2025.
She also noted that if Ukraine can prove that some men are fleeing military service, they may not be granted permanent residency in Lithuania.
Shimonet said that he really wants to help Ukraine so that it can renew its armed forces and people who have fought for a long time can rest.