Minister of Justice Rita Tamašunienė: Ukraine has and will continue to have Lithuania’s strong support
Minister of Justice Rita Tamašunienė participated in a joint meeting of the Governments of Lithuania and Ukraine, which focused on the cooperation of the two countries, support for Ukraine, ensuring international accountability for the crimes of aggression, and the exchange of experience.
The Minister emphasised that Lithuania makes consistent efforts to ensure that Ukraine receives all necessary support and that russia assumes responsibility for the violations of international law and the crimes it has committed.
“Today, Lithuania’s path is clear and principled – we are making every effort to ensure that Ukraine gets the support necessary and that the aggressor assumes full responsibility for the crimes and violations of international law committed. This is not merely a political aspiration – it is our shared commitment to the international order based on law, not force,” said Ms Tamašunienė.
According to the Minister, justice may not be delayed, therefore, Lithuania is actively urging the international community to take concrete action in various multilateral and bilateral formats.
One of the most important priorities is to start the activities of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine as soon as possible. The Minister stressed that Lithuania was the first country to express a solid commitment to join the Special Tribunal and is constantly urging other countries to complete the national procedures necessary for the entry into force of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Special Tribunal as soon as possible.
The need to ensure compensation for the damage caused to Ukraine and its people was also stressed. In this context, the Council of Europe Convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine is of particular importance. A draft for the ratification of the Convention is currently under consideration at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.
The meeting also discussed practical cooperation between the institutions of Lithuania and Ukraine in criminal and civil matters. The Minister noted that, even under wartime conditions, legal cooperation is proceeding intensively and smoothly.
In January of this year, Lithuania contacted the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine regarding the enforcement of the judgment rendered with respect to a person resident in Ukraine by the court of Lithuania in the proceedings of January 13. Constructive cooperation from the Ukrainian authorities is expected on this matter.
The Ministry of Justice has also initiated the formation of a working group for the review of the regulation of activities of pre-trial investigation institutions, prosecutor's office and courts during wartime. The experience of Ukraine in organising the work of law enforcement institutions under wartime conditions is of particular importance to Lithuania in this process.
“Ukraine has and will continue to have our strong support. We will seek decisive and consistent decisions, demonstrating that international law works and that aggression has no future,” said the Minister of Justice.
Lithuania was the first country to apply to the International Criminal Court for an investigation of the situation in Ukraine concerning war crimes and crimes against humanity. Lithuania also participated in the inter-state case Ukraine v. Russia at the European Court of Human Rights regarding human rights violations following the start of the large-scale military invasion.
Last updated: 05-06-2026
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