Nauseda: The war costs Ukraine approximately EUR 1 bln annually

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda claims that the war and Russian aggression cost Ukraine approximately EUR 1 billion annually and calls for increased support.

He said this in Copenhagen on Wednesday before the start of an informal meeting of the European Council.

"Regarding Ukraine's defense, we must certainly do much more, because, according to our estimates, the war in Ukraine costs approximately EUR 1 billion annually. Ukraine is capable of covering half of this amount; the rest must be covered by the international democratic community," the Lithuanian president is convinced.

At the same time, Nausėda advocated for continued pressure on Russia, as "Putin has no intention of stopping the war." He cited the 19th sanctions package [not yet approved by the EU] and the cessation of purchases of Russian oil and gas as elements of this pressure.

"It's baffling that we—I'm talking about Europe—we pay more for Russian gas and oil than we support Ukraine. 13% of our total gas imports come from Russia, and we're still in the fourth year of the war," he fumed, recalling that Lithuania severed all ties with Russia back in April 2022, two months after the war began.