Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron noted that he does not rule out the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine, although other countries avoid provoking a direct confrontation with Russia.
I.Šimonytė told the journalist that she has parliamentary permission to send soldiers to Ukraine for training purposes – her government has mentioned this before – but Kyiv has not yet requested it.
The Prime Minister admitted that Russia would consider this a provocation.
“If we only thought about Russia’s response, then we wouldn’t be able to send anything. Every other week you hear that someone is going to be bombed,” she added.
This week, Russia threatened to hold tactical nuclear weapons exercises in response to Macron’s comments. I.Šimonytė doubted whether the weapons would be used, taking into account the fact that radioactive materials would reach Russia.
“Mostly the winds blow from west to east,” she observed.
Russia is intensifying attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, such as power plants, schools and hospitals.
According to I.Šimonytė, this is how Russia is trying to provoke a new wave of people fleeing Ukraine, because there are no elementary communal and basic services in the country.
The Prime Minister indicated that the European Union has received more than 4.2 million refugees from Ukraine.
She also played down reports that Lithuania is helping return combat-age men to Ukraine, which is desperately trying to draft more troops.
“We will not organize deportation and search for Ukrainian men in the country, because that would not be legal,” the politician emphasized, adding that the EU guaranteed them protection until 2025. of March
However, if Kyiv proves that there are those who evaded military service, they may be denied a permanent residence permit, the prime minister noted.
Tags: Prime Minister Lithuania Ukrainians lose residence permits country
