January 10, 2024
Zelenskyy kicks off Baltic trip in bid to drum up support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Lithuania on Wednesday on an unannounced visit as he starts a tour of the Baltic states that will see him travel to Latvia and Estonia in the coming days.
Zelenskyy said on social media that his visit aimed to thank the three countries, all EU and NATO members, for their “uncompromising support for Ukraine” in its fight against the Russian invasion.
“Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are our reliable friends and principled partners,” Zelenskyy wrote, saying “security, EU and NATO integration, cooperation on electronic warfare and drones, and further coordination of European support” were all to be discussed.
The three countries, which all have had troubled relations with Russia and the former Soviet Union, have been leading supporters of Ukraine since Moscow’s assault began, supplying military, financial and humanitarian support to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy’s visit, his first official trip abroad in 2024, aims to shore up Western assistance to his country at a time when it is appearing more and more uncertain.
According to a December survey by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, aid promised to Ukraine between August and October 2023 fell almost 90% from the same period in 2022, reaching its lowest point since the start of the war in February 2022.
Among other things, an EU aid package worth €50 billion ($55 billion) has yet to be released following a veto by Hungary, while Republicans in the US have blocked sending additional aid to Ukraine.
