Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Laurynas Kasčiūnas called on the leadership of the EU and member states to allow Ukraine to strike targets in Russia with Western weapons, including long-range ones, the press service of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said.

"We must allow the Ukrainians to achieve full combat capability against Russia. The EU and its member states must make it clear that there are no restrictions on the use of the weapons provided, including long-range systems, missiles or drones," Kasčiūnas said at an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels.

According to him, "the actions of Ukrainian forces in Kursk region of Russia changed the course of the war and exposed the vulnerability of the Russian army. It is obvious that the Ukrainians know how to effectively fight the aggressor forces."

The EU defense ministers also discussed ways to effectively and quickly meet Ukraine's needs by purchasing weapons in Ukraine or third countries and transferring them to Ukraine. One way is to use the profits from frozen Russian assets. Cooperation with NATO and issues related to the EU military assistance mission to Ukraine were also discussed.

He recalled that in June, the Lithuanian Defense Council decided to provide military support to Ukraine in the amount of at least 0.25% of the country's GDP over three years, inviting other EU countries to follow this path.

In addition, Kasčiūnas called on the European Commission to adopt joint defense measures at the EU level that would protect the eastern borders with Russia and Belarus.