Ukraine deserves a place in the European family, says Mantas Varaška

Lithuania stresses solidarity with displaced Ukrainians and calls for Ukraine’s swift accession to the European Union.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has forced millions of Ukrainians to seek safety across Europe. Speaking during the October 2026 plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Mantas Varaška (LT) underlined Lithuania’s continued commitment to supporting Ukrainians who have found refuge in European communities and called for Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU.

In the debate on From Temporary Protection to Sustainable Solutions for Displaced Ukrainians in the EU – the role of cities and regions, Mantas Varaška stressed that Ukraine has demonstrated its commitment to European values through extraordinary sacrifices in defending its territory and Europe’s security.
“Ukraine nation has the same European values,” he said, highlighting the human and material costs Ukrainians have endured in defending Europe’s borders and protecting its shared values.

Mantas Varaška argued that Ukraine’s sacrifices should be recognised in the EU accession process, questioning whether the experience of any other candidate country could be compared with Ukraine’s. He called for Ukraine to become an EU member as soon as possible, presenting this as a way to recognise Ukrainians as equal members of the European family.

His intervention also reaffirmed the importance of European solidarity with Ukrainians displaced by the war, as cities and regions continue to play a key role in supporting refugees and developing sustainable solutions beyond temporary protection.