Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has called for increased international pressure on Russia following missile strikes that killed nine people across several Ukrainian cities and caused a fire at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
"It is high time to increase international pressure on Russia to end this war," Nausėda wrote on X on Monday, saying the attack showed an "insane disregard for human lives, cultural heritage, and the very spiritual tradition."
Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys echoed the call ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, where a new package of sanctions against Russia is under discussion.
"Especially today, having seen the images of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra still in flames, what more is needed for us to pull ourselves together and say: look, there can be no normal dialogue here, no conversation. We must apply pressure and do what works. Sanctions work," he said.
Budrys argued that the proposed 21st sanctions package lacks sufficient ambition.
