Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has congratulated Ukraine on its Independence Day at Sophia Square in Kyiv, delivering his speech in Ukrainian.

Source: European Pravda

Details: Nausėda said that Lithuania has supported Ukraine since the earliest days of the full-scale war and stressed that this support will remain unwavering.

He reiterated that Lithuania will never recognise the Russian occupation and annexation of Crimea and other Ukrainian territories as legitimate.

"We remember the centuries of shared history, and we know that you will win. Victory is peace, security, and lasting prosperity. It is hope for justice for thousands of victims of Russian aggression and their families [...] Together we will rebuild Ukraine. We want it to become part of the Euro-Atlantic community. Our vision is a strong Ukraine in a strong Europe. I believe that one day Ukraine will be a member of both the EU and NATO. The aggressor will not get to decide Ukraine’s destiny," Nausėda said.

He also quoted several lines from a poem by the 19th-century Ukrainian poet and activist Taras Shevchenko: "Keep fighting – you are sure to win!"

"I believe that we will celebrate the next Independence Day alongside [celebrating] victory. May you live forever, independent Ukraine," he concluded.

Background: 

• Gitanas Nausėda has been in Ukraine since 23 August, when he participated in the Crimean Platform summit. 
• Nausėda said in his speech that Crimea was where Russia’s aggression against Ukraine had begun, and will be where it meets its end.
• Lithuania announced the next batch of military assistance worth €41 million on the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day.

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