Nausėda takes office as President of Lithuania for the second time: what he said about the war in Ukraine

On Friday, July 12, Gitanas Nausėda was inaugurated as President of Lithuania for a second term. He is a good friend of Ukraine who supports the territorial integrity of our country.

According to the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT, the ceremony began at noon in the Seimas' March 11 Assembly Hall. There, Nausėda swore an oath of allegiance to the Republic of Lithuania and the Constitution, promising to fulfill his duties honestly and treat all citizens fairly.

"Today I took the presidential oath for the second time. I promised the nation to defend and strengthen Lithuania, to serve the homeland, democracy, and the welfare of our people. I will continue to support Lithuania's mission to stand on the right side of history," he said.

The ceremony was attended by the first lady, former presidents, the Seimas speaker, the prime minister, the president of the Constitutional Court, a metropolitan, and an archbishop.

After the Seimas session, a mass is scheduled to be held at Vilnius Cathedral. Then, the president will be met by units and commanders of the Lithuanian Armed Forces at the Cathedral Square.

It is worth noting that Gitanas Nausėda is a firm and constant supporter of Ukraine. His position on our country has always been unequivocal and based on the principles of support for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.

Since the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Nauseda has repeatedly expressed support for the Ukrainian people and condemned Russia's actions.

He actively called on the international community to strengthen sanctions against Russia and provide military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

According to Nausėda, his country will continue to stand firmly with Ukraine until victory. In this regard, the Lithuanian authorities have decided to allocate a portion of their GDP to support Ukraine's security. Following a meeting of the State Defense Council, it is about at least 0.25% of GDP for defense support for Ukraine.

He also considers unacceptable the double standards applied by the West in assisting Israel and Ukraine.

"It is unacceptable that we, as you rightly said, apply double standards. Our assistance to Israel certainly does not and should not compete with our attention to Ukraine. If we are principled and stand for democratic values, we should support both, not calculate – we give one so much and the other so much," Nauseda said.

In addition, he warned against negotiations with the aggressor country, warning that Europe could be trapped.

"When I see pacifist sentiments emerge again and again, especially regarding the situation at the front, when they start talking about peace talks... I think that we are falling into the same trap again and returning to the belief in the telephone law that used to take place, and now it is the so-called peace talks," he said.

At the same time, according to the Lithuanian leader, one of the key principles for establishing a just and sustainable peace is to bring Russia to justice for war crimes committed in Ukraine. A special international tribunal will help to achieve such accountability, and the international community should intensify its efforts to establish it now.

Nausėda made his first official visit to Ukraine as president on March 19, 2021. On the same day, he addressed the Verkhovna Rada in Ukrainian and Lithuanian, stated that Crimea is Ukraine, and condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine

Since the full-scale invasion, Nausėda has visited Ukraine three times. The first visit took place on April 13. During his visit, he and other leaders visited the village of Borodyanka in the Kyiv region, which was almost destroyed by Russian troops.

He made his second visit to Ukraine on July 28, the Day of Ukrainian Statehood. During his visit, he held talks with President Zelenskyy and addressed the Verkhovna Rada. At that time, Nausėda presented Zelenskyy with Lithuania's highest honor, the Order of Vytautas the Great, and said that this award belonged to the President of Ukraine and the entire Ukrainian people.

Nausėda's third visit took place on June 28, 2023, on the Constitution Day of Ukraine. Then he visited our country together with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

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