Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis has spoken in favour of continued arms deliveries to Ukraine as the country battles Russia-backed separatists in its eastern Donbas region, according a report.
Ukraine's international partners should continue to help the country by providing it with arms deliveries “not because we want to encourage war,” but because such deliveries help save lives among soldiers and civilians, Skvernelis said on Thursday, as quoted by Polish broadcaster TV Republika, Radio Poland wrote.
He was speaking in the Ukrainian capital during the 11th Kyiv Security Forum, an annual meeting of politicians and experts focusing on international security issues.
Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, said during the Kyiv conference that the United States wanted to see Ukraine become a member of NATO in the future, according to reports.
Read alsoPoroshenko: Nord Stream 2 "political bribe" for Germany's loyalty to RussiaWhile in Kyiv, Skvernelis met Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko to discuss issues including "the need to block" a planned gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that would bypass Ukraine's transit system, TV Republika reported.
If built, the contested Nord Stream 2 pipeline would supply around 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, circumventing Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine.
Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine all oppose the project.
The U.S. State Department spokeswoman said last month that the US government opposed Nord Stream 2 as the project would undermine Europe’s energy security and stability.
