Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Thursday that he had arrived in Lithuania to meet with Central and Eastern European leaders about support for his war-torn country.
The visit comes as Moscow has increased its aerial bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks, leading Kyiv to renew its request for additional Western military assistance.
Lithuania, one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, on Thursday hosts leaders of the Three Seas Initiative, a regional alliance bringing together EU member states situated between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas.
The presidents of Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic are among those expected to attend.
Zelensky is also scheduled to meet with his Lithuanian colleague, Gitanas Nauseda, to discuss Ukraine’s requirements as military backing from Western allies dwindles.
Both presidents will discuss the situation on the front lines, the necessity for military and financial assistance, and Ukraine’s possibilities for NATO membership, according to a statement from the Lithuanian presidency.
Zelensky has been a rare guest abroad since the commencement of the Russian invasion, but he has since visited Lithuania three times during Moscow’s all-out assault in 2022.
He attended the NATO meeting in Vilnius last July and returned in January to request military assistance from Western partners.
