Lithuania hands over equipment to Ukraine as part of demining coalition
The equipment was solemnly handed over in Kyiv on the territory of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
During the event, Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Lithuania Laurynas Kasčiūnas noted that this is the first batch of demining equipment within the framework of the international coalition for demining Ukraine.
“Today marks an important moment in our collective commitment to build resilient demining units that are well-equipped and meet Western standards. We are delivering the first batch of demining equipment purchased within the coalition. This equipment includes: 230 pickup trucks and 240 mine detectors, is much more than a set of tools, it symbolizes our unwavering support for Ukraine, restoring peace and returning the land to its people,” said Kasčiūnas.
In turn, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov recalled that the coalition for demining Ukraine, which includes 21 countries, was created at the initiative of the Republic of Lithuania.
“Over the past two and a half years, Lithuania has provided Ukraine with military assistance worth more than 705 million euros and pledged to provide annual support of 0.25% of its GDP. This coalition was created at the initiative of Lithuania and it united 21 countries to support our army. The longer this terrible war lasts, the more territories will be contaminated and mined. For this we need the help of our partners,” Umerov emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported, in August, Ukraine and the Republic of Lithuania signed an agreement on cooperation within the Demining Capability Coalition.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine aims to survey the vast majority of the potentially mined territory of 140,000 square kilometers by 2033.
Photo: Flickr/Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas
