A new government under the leadership of the Prime Minister of Gintasus Polutskas has been formed and approved in Lithuania. On Thursday, December 12, the government took the oath and began its operations after the Program approved in the Seimas.
Lithuania President Hitanas Nauseda has approved the composition of the government, including the last two ministers: the Minister of Environment was Vylolas Poderskis, and the Ministry of Justice was headed by lawyer Rimantas Motskas. Earlier, other 12 ministers were appointed, among whom Kiastutis Budris became the new head of the Foreign Ministry, the former chief adviser to the President on national security, and the Ministry of Defense headed Radly Shakaliene.
The new government program envisages continuation of close cooperation with Ukraine, support for its integration into the EU and NATO, and is actively involved in the security of the region. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal had a telephone conversation with Gintasus Pileutas, during which he greeted him on his appointment and agreed to hold joint intergovernmental consultations in Kiev by the end of the year.
Schmigal emphasized the importance of Lithuania as one of Ukraine's key allies in the international arena. Since the beginning of the full -scale invasion of Russia, Lithuania has assisted Ukraine for more than € 1.5 billion, which is 2% of the country's GDP. Lithuania also allocates 0.25% of its GDP annually to support Ukraine's security and defense.
The Ukrainian side expressed gratitude for the strategic support, which has remained an important element of the new Lithuanian government program, in particular in the context of continuing joint projects in key industries.
