In Vilnius, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Lithuanian volunteers Jonas Ohman and Edmundas Jakilaitis, as well as Lithuania’s Minister of Health Marija Jakubauskienė.

Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland must be effective in their cooperation to protect their sovereignty and their peoples, and this is how all countries – both in our region and across Europe as a whole – should act. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized this following a meeting of the heads of state in the Lublin Triangle format in Vilnius.

I am very glad that our partners – Lithuania and Poland – support Ukraine within the European Union. And for us, this is one of the guarantees – I have said this many times: one of the security guarantees for Ukraine is membership in the European Union.

The January Uprising was an uprising of the Ukrainian, Polish, Lithuanian, and Belarusian peoples against the Russian Empire and oppression. It began on January 22, 1863, and lasted until June 1864. Its motto was: “For our freedom and yours.”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska took part in a religious service dedicated to honoring those who were killed during the January Uprising of 1863–1864. The service was held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus. The Presidents and First Ladies of Lithuania and Poland also took part.

European politicians should value the fact that they represent free and independent states, rather than having to lead uprisings against empires and occupiers today. It is too early for Europe to relax while Russia’s war machine is still running, and while dictators around Europe are not weakening. They all look at Europe – at us – as prey.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy began a working visit to Lithuania with a meeting with President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda.