Lithuania's Ukraine policy is very clear. Whatever victory takes. -

Current Status: Introduced in the Senate - Sponsored by Senator Jeanne Shaheen - Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. 

BAFL's Anne Smith took the lead in working closely with staff to urge language to support NATO in Sen. Res. 251: "Celebrating the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, and expressing priorities related to transatlantic security and the NATO Strategic Concept."

As Americans of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian ancestry, we feel  great pride watching the Baltic countries prepare for the NATO Summit  and for all they have accomplished as NATO members for nearly 30  years.  Yet, our enthusiasm is tempered by Russia’s brutality against  Ukrainian civilians that Vladimir Putin and his ally Alexander  Lukashenko in Belarus will not stop.  We watch with concern as an  unpredictable and aggressive Vladimir Putin tests the resolve of NATO by  placing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus while mercenary Yevgeni  Prighozhin is “exiled” to Belarus. 

As Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis recently told  the Financial Times, the territory between Belarus and Poland in  particular needs reinforcement saying, “The Suwalki Gap – if that is  lost, it changes a lot…the Baltic countries can’t be left as they are.”  President Zelensky recently stated that Poland and the Baltic states  could be next.

NATO must rapidly enhance the security of its eastern flank.  In  recent days, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg visited Lithuania to  meet German and Lithuanian troops training together in “Exercise Griffen  Storm” and stated, NATO must protect “every ally, every inch of NATO”  against threats from either Moscow or Minsk.  He was joined by  Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and German Defense Minister Boris  Pistorius.  Noting the exposure of the Baltic countries because of their  proximity to Russia, Minister Pistorius announced “Germany is ready to  deploy a robust brigade in Lithuania on a permanent basis.”

As the Ukraine war continues, support for the NATO Alliance has  never been more important.  Please let your Senators know that you want  them to show their support for NATO and the Baltic countries by  cosponsoring this resolution.