Gabrielius Landsbergis

NATO appears to be on the verge of sending troops to Ukraine, according to a report by the New York Times. The troops will train Ukrainian soldiers, a move expected to deepen US and European involvement in the conflict.

European ministers said on Monday they were looking urgently at how to provide more air defence to Ukraine but they stopped short of concrete pledges of the Patriot systems that Kyiv values most.

NATO foreign ministers have celebrated the alliance's 75th anniversary to warnings that Moscow was as great a threat as ever and concern over stalled US aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has joined the debate over the possibility of sending ground troops to Ukraine, stating that Western leaders should not dismiss the option. Kallas' comments come in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron's recent controversial suggestion, which sparked widespread discussion among allied governments.

European Union countries that border Russia may ban Russian tourists from entering if the union does not agree on a European-wide suspension of Schengen visas. This was announced on Tuesday by the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, quoted by Reuters.

At the summit of the foreign ministers of the EU member states, Gabrielius Landsbergis said that his country had banned the railway transit of all goods from Russia, which is under EU sanctions, through its territory, since June 17.
"This decision was made after consultations with the European Commission and was implemented under the leadership of the EC," Landsbergis explained.

Belarusian border guards shot down a drone on the border with Lithuania, which was flying towards the territory of Belarus.
This was announced on Thursday by the State Border Committee of Belarus, as TASS reported.

Vilnius – Foreign Minister Anže Logar attended the Future of Democracy forum in Vilnius on Friday and held talks with his Lithuanian and Latvian counterparts dedicated to the situation on the border with Belarus.

The EU-mandated tour of the South Caucasus by the Romanian, Austrian and Lithuanian Foreign Ministers sends the respective states "a coordinated message on the need to continue and deepen reforms, in the spirit of the European agenda," Romania's top diplomat Bogdan Aurescu said today, as he spoke alongside his Austrian and Lithuanian counterparts before embarking on the trip.

Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of flagrantly threatening it with destruction and warned Moscow that any escalation of fighting would be met with a firm military response.

Tensions have risen once again in the long-simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled pro-Russian separatists since 2014.