Lithuania demands decisive action and stronger sanctions against Russia from the EU

Lithuania has warned that Ukraine could find itself in a financial trap as early as 2026 due to EU delays in approving a reparations loan. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budris said that this situation plays into Russia’s favor.

This is reported by Ukrinform.

Budris called on the European Union to make a decision before the European Council summit in December to prevent a financial crisis at the start of the new year. He stressed that Russia is closely monitoring the situation and is counting on the weakness of Europe and Ukraine. “Time is running out for Russia, and we must break this scenario,” the minister said.

He stressed that the EU should not only talk about solidarity, but also make real budgetary commitments to support Ukraine. Budris added that the war is not “somewhere outside Europe”, but directly in the European space – therefore, it is necessary to react immediately.

Separately, the minister said that Europe is still lagging behind the US in the strength of sanctions against Russia. According to him, Washington has already imposed restrictions against Rosneft and Lukoil, while the EU has not been able to include Lukoil even in the 19th package. Budris insists that the EU include Lukoil and Rosatom in the new, 20th package. He concluded that the EU often calls the sanctions packages “big”, but in practice does not do enough.

As previously reported, the United Kingdom and Canada have announced their readiness to provide Ukraine with financing under the model of so-called “reparations loans” , which the European Commission ties to frozen Russian assets.

As a reminder, the recent major corruption scandal, known as “Minditchgate,” has caused a mixed reaction from international partners , which may affect future support for Ukraine.

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