Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė warmly congratulated Ukraine and Ukrainian citizens who have taken refuge in Lithuania from the war on the occasion of their Independence Day.
Today, 24 August, during her working visit to Kyiv, the Prime Minister participated in the official Independence Day celebrations and addressed the gathering in Kyiv's Sofia Square.
In her congratulatory speech, the Head of the Lithuanian Government thanked the people of Ukraine for their heroic defence not only of their land and statehood but also of the freedom and values of Lithuania, Europe and the entire democratic world. She wished faith, perseverance and victory to the indomitable Ukrainian people.
"I don't just hope, I believe that the day of victory will definitely come. That we will celebrate it together in Ukrainian Crimea and in a free, proud Mariupol. That the Ukrainians taking refuge in Lithuania will return and rebuild Donetsk and Luhansk - cities of the EU and NATO. That every Ukrainian child will return to their homes in Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson oblasts and throughout Ukraine. That their loved ones will be embraced by the brave defenders of Ukraine who have returned from the front and from captivity," said Ms Šimonytė.
It is equally important that all those who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine, as well as those who have given barbaric orders, are brought to justice by an international tribunal.
"Only a Ukrainian victory and an international tribunal will bring a just and sustainable peace to Ukraine and to our common home - Europe. Lithuania is and will be with Ukraine every step of the way to this goal. We are doing and will continue to do our utmost to accelerate your victory as much as possible," the Prime Minister concluded her speech.
The Prime Minister also paid tribute to the defenders of Ukraine who died in the fight for independence by laying flowers at the memorial to the victims of Russia's more than a decade-long war against Ukraine.