LITHUANIA, April 11 - On 11 April, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė made a visit to Ukraine, together with Minister for Social Security and Labour Monika Navickienė.

Accompanied by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, the Prime Minister started off her visit with a trip to Borodyanka, a town in Kyiv region, left in ruins by Russia’s army.

‘No words could possibly describe what I saw and felt there, witnessing only a tiny part of all the evidence of war crimes, the crimes against humanity that Russia committed in Ukraine’, said the Prime Minister. 

According to her, it is obvious that the Russian army is cynically bombing into rubbles the Ukrainian towns of Borodyanka, Mariupol, Chernihiv, and many others, with an unquestionable goal to wipe them off the face of Earth, causing as many civilian casualties, as much pain and suffering as possible.

‘The images of the ruined Ukrainian towns and cities, and the testimonies of the survivors reveal the real face of Russia and the ‘Russian world’ they try to forcefully impose on the peaceful nation’, said the Prime Minister.

Ingrida Šimonytė underlined that Lithuania would help Ukraine to document all the atrocities committed by the Russian army and would strive to bring each and every executor and accomplice to international justice. The Prime Ministers discussed the possibility of sending a Lithuanian forensic and crime investigation team to Ukraine.

In Kyiv, the counterparts talked over the latest developments in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the humanitarian situation in the country, sanctions against Russia, Lithuania’s further bilateral assistance to Ukraine, support for Ukraine heading towards the EU membership, also cooperation and support in international formats.

‘As always, you can count on Lithuania’s strong voice in support of further strengthening of the EU sanctions on Russia.  All Russian banks must be disconnected from SWIFT, imports of Russian energy must stop, and any business ties with Russia must eventually cease. Such decisions are not achieved easily.  Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were the first countries to cut off Russian gas supplies and other EU member states are making efforts unseen before to be able to do the same in shortest possible terms’, said the Lithuanian Prime Minister.

The Lithuanian and Ukrainian Ministers for Social Security and Labour discussed ways to provide more effective social services to the most vulnerable Ukrainian population fleeing the war, particularly children with disabilities and orphans. The Ministers signed a bilateral inter-ministerial agreement on co-operation in the field of child guardianship/curatorship.