Lithuania signals willingness to send troops to Ukraine

ISTANBUL

Lithuania has signaled its readiness to send troops to Ukraine, local media reported on Monday.

“Lithuania has decided [to send troops]. Specific numbers are being discussed – I will not disclose them – but we should recall our contribution in Afghanistan and move in a similar direction,” public broadcaster LRT quoted presidential adviser Dainius Zikevicius as saying in an interview with 15min.lt.

Zikevicius said the forces would also help train Ukrainian troops.

On Sunday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on US social media company X that military support is "vital" for Ukraine to gain leverage in negotiations.

Ukraine "needs real security guarantees, including reassurance forces with U.S. support & own military strength," he said and called for increased international pressure on Russia.

His statement came right after Sunday's virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing Leaders, co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Coalition of the Willing reaffirmed support for Ukraine and hailed Zelenskyy's "desire" for a just and lasting peace ahead of his meeting with US President Trump in Washington, DC.

Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a three-hour closed-door meeting Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, with Putin saying they reached an "understanding."

Following the summit, Trump told Fox News that significant points were agreed upon, with only minor items remaining.