Lithuanian leaders promise to help Ukraine bring back men of conscription age

“Ukraine needs mobilization plans,” Nausėda said in a debate on Lithuanian Public Radio, stressing that “Ukraine needs to provide means and tools to encourage young men to serve their homeland. We have to cooperate with Ukraine in every way”.

On the other hand, Šimonīte, who will be one of the eight candidates in the first round of the Lithuanian presidential elections to be held on May 12, alongside Nausėdas, expressed confidence that Lithuania could help Ukraine to a certain extent in the issue of mobilization, however, European Union (EU) level discussions on specific actions would be necessary.

“Perhaps we could look at ways to ensure that a person has met or is exempt from mobilization before we consider whether to extend their temporary residence permit.

But here we have to cooperate not only with the Ukrainian authorities, but also more broadly, because currently the so-called temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens has been introduced in the EU,” she said.

“This temporary protection is quite universal, Ukrainian citizens living in the EU currently have very wide opportunities within the framework of this protection, and it is clear that it is not a matter of one or two countries,” said Šimonite.

Last week, Poland’s Defense Minister Władysław Kosińak-Kamisz confirmed Warsaw’s readiness to help Kyiv return conscript-age men to Ukraine.

However, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski admitted that Warsaw’s help in bringing the men subject to mobilization to Ukraine was an ethically questionable move. Sikorsky emphasized that Kyiv should be a leader in this matter.

Responding to Kosiņak-Kamiš’s statement, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurins Kasčuns also said that Vilnius could follow Poland’s example regarding Ukrainian men living abroad who are subject to mobilization.

It has already been announced that on April 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed the controversial mobilization law, which aims to increase the number of soldiers.