The Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, has passed a resolution declaring it will not recognise Russia’s claims to seized Ukrainian territories.
The resolution was adopted on Thursday with 118 votes in favour and no votes against or abstentions.
“Any seizures of Ukrainian territory carried out or still being carried out by the Russian Federation will not be recognised by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, either de jure or de facto,” the resolution reads.
The document states that Ukraine is a sovereign and independent European country with the right to defend itself and make its own decisions on domestic, foreign and security policies. Its borders are those recognised by the international community in 1991.
“Today, it is very important not only to stop this unjustifiable war and ensure lasting peace, but also to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” Remigijus Motuzas, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, said while presenting the draft resolution.
Motuzas argued that Russia could not be allowed to “rewrite or distort” the history of World War Two or of recent decades.
“As Moscow prepares to mark the anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War or, as they officially say, the victory over Nazi Germany, it has stepped up pressure on Ukraine, increasing attacks on civilian infrastructure and innocent people,” he said.
Motuzas stressed the need for moral support for Ukraine, especially with peace talks stalled over territorial disputes.
The resolution urges other parliaments around the world to adopt similar declarations and calls on governments to take steps to ensure that Russia’s land grabs, past and ongoing, are not recognised in any form.
On Thursday, the Seimas also reiterated its strong condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
The Lithuanian parliament said it remains “firmly committed to supporting Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and is ready to contribute to all international diplomatic efforts to help Ukraine restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity as soon as possible”.
Russian forces occupied Crimea and entered eastern Ukraine on February 26, 2014. Russia launched its full-scale military aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
In an effort to broker a ceasefire and peace deal, Washington has reportedly proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines and accepting that the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014, is part of Russia.
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