Lithuania Awaits Kyiv's Nod to Deploy Training Units Amid Russian Threats

Lithuanian Prime Minister claims she has Parliament's approval to deploy training units in Ukraine but awaits a request from Kyiv, despite potential Russian threats.

Ingrida Šimonytė disclosed to the "Financial Times" that she has received Parliamentary consent to send Lithuanian troops to Ukraine for training missions, though a request from Kyiv is still pending.

She acknowledged the potential Russian backlash this move could provoke but argued, "If we just thought about the Russian response, then we could not send anything." - "Every second week you hear that somebody will be nuked" - she continued.

Šimonytė questioned the likelihood of weapon use, considering the radioactive contamination that would also impact Russia. - "Most of the time the winds blow from west to east," - she remarked succinctly.

According to Šimonytė, Russia has escalated assaults on Ukrainian civilian targets, including power stations, schools, and hospitals, aiming to "trigger a fresh exodus of people from Ukraine".

Over 4.2 million refugees from Ukraine have sought refuge in EU countries to date, with the majority fleeing during the winter and spring of 2022 at the onset of the conflict. Šimonytė confirmed that Lithuania has no plans to expel Ukrainians of conscription age back to Ukraine or to track down Ukrainians of conscription age within its borders.