SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
RESOLUTION
ON COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE’S VICTORY
14 March 2024 No XIV-2491
Vilnius
The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, being the representative body of the Nation through which the Nation exercises supreme sovereign power,
having regard to the fact that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the war against Ukraine launched by Russia in 2014 and the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine with the support and participation of Belarus, launched on 24 February 2022,
invoking the provisions of Resolution No XIV-930 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 24 February 2022 on the Aggression of Russia and Belarus against Ukraine, Resolution No XIV-931 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 10 March 2022 on the Granting of EU Candidate Status to Ukraine and Ukraine’s Full Membership of the European Union, Resolution No XIV-964 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 22 March 2022 on the Membership of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Resolution No XIV-1010 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 12 April 2022 on Condemning the Russian Federation’s Aggression and War Crimes in Ukraine, Resolution No XIV-1070 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 10 May 2022 on the Recognition of the Actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine as Genocide and the Establishment of a Special International Criminal Tribunal to Investigate the Crime of Russian Aggression, Resolution No XIV-1132 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 9 June 2022 on Comprehensive Support for Ukraine’s Victory, Accelerated Accession to the European Union and Ensuring of Safe Navigation in the Black Sea, Resolution No XIV-1133 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 16 June 2022 on the Abduction and Unlawful Deportation of Ukrainians by the Russian Federation, Resolution No XIV-1416 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 15 September 2022 on Non-Recognition of Illegal Referendums Organised by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, Resolution No XIV-1502 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 8 November 2022 on the Condemnation of the Sexual Crimes Committed in Ukraine by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Prosecution of Perpetrators and Assistance to Victims, Resolution No XIV-1782 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 10 March 2023 on Banning the Participation of Athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the Olympic Games and Other International Competitions, Resolution No XIV-1788 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 14 March 2023 on Designating the Private Military Company Wagner as a Terrorist Organisation, Resolution No XIV-1810 of the Seimas of the Republic of 21 March 2023 on Restricting the Influence of Terrorist Russia, Resolution No XIV-1879 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 6 April 2023 on the Key Goals of Lithuania at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Resolution No XIV-2167 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of 19 September 2023 on Inviting Ukraine to Join NATO,
emphasising that all these resolutions received general support from the members of the Seimas and calling on all the participants in the upcoming elections of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, to the European Parliament and the Seimas to continue to demonstrate this unity with Ukraine still at war,
drawing attention to the fact that, with the so-called presidential elections in Russia on 17 March 2024, efforts will be made to legalise the temporarily and illegally occupied and annexed territories of Ukraine,
stressing that the murder of Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition, carried out by the Russian regime, testifies that Vladimir Putin is seeking to silence the opposition at any cost, which raises worries about the growing threat posed to Vladimir Kara-Murza, a member of the liberal opposition, who is also in Russia’s prison, unlawfully sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,
reaffirms that:
categorically condemns Russia’s unprovoked military aggression and large-scale invasion of Ukraine with the support and participation of Belarus; expresses its strong support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders; demands that Russia immediately cease hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine without any conditions;
takes the view that Ukraine’s decisive victory is an essential prerequisite for security in Europe and the world;
and therefore:
calls on the international community to urgently and substantially increase the political, economic, financial, military, technical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in order to help Ukraine regain full control over the whole of its internationally recognised territory and successfully defend itself against further aggression by Russia;
considers that military assistance is currently a priority, especially in the areas identified by the Ukrainian Government;
recalls that delays in providing assistance to Ukraine are helping Russia and prolong the war, the cost of which is the lives of innocent Ukrainians;
urges the Member States of the European Union to increase production capacity in the defence sector as soon as possible in order to support Ukraine’s strategy for victory and strengthen NATO’s capabilities to deter Russia;
welcomes the clear demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine by the Member States of the European Union through the setting-up of a dedicated instrument in the amount of EUR 50 billion for Ukraine for the period from 2024 to 2027, and calls on all Member States of the European Union and its allies to increase military assistance to Ukraine to a minimum of 0.25 per cent of each country’s GDP; additionally, calls on the United States House of Representatives to immediately agree on the provision of additional assistance to Ukraine;
stresses that the Russian presidential elections scheduled for 17 March 2024, and any other elections conducted by Russia within the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied and illegally annexed by Russia, constitute a gross violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter, and infringe upon Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; does not acknowledge the conduct or outcomes of such elections within the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied and illegally annexed. The so-called elections in Russia lack both freedom and legitimacy. They are conducted with the complete destruction of the opposition and independent media, devoid of international oversight, and in violation of international legal norms, therefore they hold no legitimacy and lack democratic validity;
makes a firm commitment to support international endeavours aimed at ensuring full accountability for war crimes and other serious international offences committed during Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; underscores the responsibility of the international community to establish a specialised international criminal tribunal to hold the Russian political and military leadership accountable for their actions;
strongly condemns the unlawful and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus whereby Russia and Belarus violate international humanitarian law and commit war crimes and genocide; calls upon the international community and organisations, particularly the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, to actively address this issue in order to establish the identity, whereabouts, and safe return of abducted children to their families or legal representatives and to this end urges the adoption and implementation of the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of children deported and forcibly displaced from Ukraine. The Seimas is strongly in favour of the establishment of a legal mechanism to ensure fair compensation for minors victimised by the Russian Federation’s transnational criminal activities, in particular, utilising frozen Russian assets;
advocates for the necessity to establish a legal framework at the European Union level enabling Member States to utilise frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine and compensate victims of Russian aggression;
calls for the G7 to take prior to the NATO Summit in Washington the necessary steps to use frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine and compensate victims of Russian aggression;
calls on the European Union to step up the application of the European Union’s global sanctions regime for human rights violations, which is an important European Union sanctions instrument targeting all those liable for human rights violations and for perpetrating, sponsoring or organising atrocities or war crimes in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;
urges to extend the sanctions against Russia so far imposed by the European Union, the United States, Canada and other members of the international community, by adopting decisions as soon as possible to impose restrictions on Russia’s civilian nuclear energy, liquefied natural gas and metals sectors, from which Russia still generates significant revenues, extending the ban on exports of high-technology and strategic goods to Russia and removing existing exemptions for exports of such goods to Russia, thereby strategically weakening Russia’s economy and its military-industrial complex, and also targeting countries, persons and entities whose activities directly or indirectly support Russia’s defence sector, and assist Russia in circumventing European Union sanctions. Additionally, joint European Union decisions are necessary to restrict the entry of Russian and Belarusian agricultural and feed products into the European Union;
urges to enforce the sanctions policy in a more rigorous and efficient way, including the prevention and investigation of sanctions evasion, to propose solutions to prevent the circumvention of sanctions through third countries and to take strong action against intermediaries involved in sanctions evasion across various sectors;
considers Ukraine to be part of the European and Euro-Atlantic family and advocates for its eventual membership in the European Union and NATO;
calls on the European Union to promptly proceed with the decision to initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine, taking into account Ukraine’s reform efforts;
reaffirms its backing for Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO; welcomes continued endeavours to advance Ukraine’s NATO membership following the Vilnius Summit, and calls on the Governments and Parliaments of NATO Member States to commence discussions on inviting Ukraine to join NATO during the 75th NATO Summit;
believes that Ukraine’s accession to NATO will substantially enhance the Alliance’s security, prevent further escalation of the confrontation with NATO and other democratic nations, promote lasting peace in Europe, and facilitate democratic progress in the region and globally;
expresses solidarity with Ukraine and its people, who continue to tirelessly demonstrate remarkable courage, determination, and resilience in defending the State of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people, their freedom and democratic principles, and emphasises Lithuania’s commitment to exerting every effort to secure Ukraine’s victory.