The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, during a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, outlined principles that, in his view, could form the basis for a peace agreement for Ukraine and the end of the Russia-Ukraine war.
He unveiled these ideas in his posts on X, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts by partners.
Nausėda noted that now is the time to firmly support Ukraine and strengthen its negotiating position, in order to ensure security for both Ukraine and Europe.
“There must be a ceasefire first”
– Gitanas Nausėda
“Any peace plan must include strong, legally binding security guarantees, and not be another Budapest Memorandum. No concessions regarding Ukraine’s territory, sovereignty, or international law can be made”
– Gitanas Nausėda
“Long-term military and financial support, strengthened sanctions, and clear progress on Ukraine’s path toward EU membership are extremely important”
– Gitanas Nausėda
Key Provisions and the Context of the Future Agreement
The main idea of Nausėda is that any agreed-upon solution should be rooted in real security guarantees, without which lasting peace cannot be achieved. He stressed that Europe must act as a unified whole, as the continent’s future stability depends on the coordinated action of its partners.
Historically, Ukraine’s security issue is tied to the Budapest Memorandum, signed on December 5, 1994, between Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States after Kyiv’s renunciation of nuclear weapons remaining in its possession. The guarantors pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to refrain from the use or threat of force against it.
Subsequently, the memorandum did not contain specific enforcement mechanisms or robust protection mechanisms, which is why after the annexation of Crimea and Russia’s full-scale invasion its effectiveness has been viewed as doubtful, and the document has become a controversial symbol of international security guarantees.
In the contemporary context, the search for real security guarantees and stronger support for Ukraine remains a topic of active discussion among European partners and the international community.