Leaders of Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania reaffirm their clear commitment to expand cooperation, call on intl community to strengthen sanctions against Russia – statement

KYIV. Dec 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda and President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda adopted a joint statement on Thursday following the talks in the Lublin Triangle format.

According to the press service of the President’s Office, in a statement, the presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland called on the international community to strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation due to its ongoing aggression against Ukraine and once again called on the Kremlin to de-escalate the situation by withdrawing its troops from Ukraine’s borders and from its temporarily occupied territories.

Also, the leaders acknowledged that the recognition of the restoration of Independence of Ukraine by the Republic of Poland, as the first country in the world, and the Republic of Lithuania 30 years ago became an important milestone on the way to a full-fledged reunification of Europe.

Thus, the parties confirmed their clear commitment to further expanding their cooperation in a wide range of areas such as security and defence, economy, energy and others, including within the Lublin Triangle format.

"The Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Poland reconfirm their full support for Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO," the statement reads.

In addition, the presidents of three countries expressed their mutual support and solidarity in the face of the migration crisis, artificially created and orchestrated by Minsk on the Lithuanian-Belarusian and Polish-Belarusian borders, and stated their resolve to join efforts to counter it. They also noted that this hybrid attack represented a direct threat to the security of the entire Europe.

The statement says that the leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthening the European energy security and in this regard expressed their profound concern over the Nord Stream 2 project that represents a security challenge for the European region.

"They expressed their readiness to act jointly to oppose the monopolization of the European gas market by Russia, which is using energy as a geopolitical tool," the statement reads.

Moreover, they expressed their particular concern over the continuing deterioration of security and stability in the region and evolving threats, including hybrid ones, resulting, inter alia, from the ongoing Russian aggression, and agreed on the need of joint efforts to strengthen their resilience in the face of those threats in order to counter them in a more efficient and coordinated manner.

Poland and Lithuania reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.

As reported, on Thursday, Zelensky took part in the first negotiations in the Lublin Triangle format and held a video conference conversation with the presidents of Lithuania and Poland.