Olha Stefanishyna meets Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys in Kyiv
On 9 June, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna met with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys in Kyiv.
The meeting was attended by Laimonas Talat-Kelpša, Political Director at the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mantas Jakimavičius, Director of the Eastern Neighbourhood Policy Department, and Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine.
At the start of the meeting, Olha Stefanishyna welcomed the Lithuanian Foreign Minister to Kyiv and expressed gratitude to Lithuania for its ongoing support for Ukraine, which continues to fight for its independence daily.
“I want to thank your country for the invaluable support you provide at every step of our journey. Your assistance is never taken for granted, and your decisions and stance to consistently uphold what is right serve as an example for others. Thank you for everything you do for our country, for our Europe, and for our democracy. This is critically important, and it makes a difference for all of us,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasised.
She briefed her Lithuanian counterpart on the progress of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, particularly the work done by the Ukrainian side towards opening the first negotiation Clusters.
“Opening the first negotiation Clusters is one of our state’s priority goals today. The Ukrainian Government has taken all necessary steps to implement transformations aimed at strengthening public trust in the judicial system and the rule of law, and reform roadmaps have been adopted. We understand that Ukraine is entering a new decade of transformations,” Olha Stefanishyna noted.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the European integration process has become a pillar uniting Ukrainians who, despite the challenges of a full-scale war, remain committed to working towards a shared European future.
“To consolidate this process, a clear political decision by the 27 EU member states is needed. That is why we look forward to the formal start of negotiations on the first three Clusters – this is critically important for the practical implementation of further reforms and maintaining momentum in the process,” she stressed.
During the meeting, the parties also discussed the key role of the EU enlargement process in driving reforms in candidate countries and transforming the European Union as a whole. It was noted that for candidate countries like Ukraine, real access to negotiations provides an opportunity to define their vision for their future in the EU while enabling the European Commission to develop a more strategic approach to the enlargement process.
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister agreed that Ukraine is currently the main driver of the EU enlargement process, and a strategically complete Europe capable of countering external challenges is unimaginable without Ukraine’s full membership.