President holds another foreign policy meeting at presidential palace

Vilnius, Lithuania — President Gitanas Nausėda convened another high-level foreign policy meeting at the presidential palace on Tuesday, bringing together leaders from both the ruling coalition and parliamentary opposition.

The gathering, which included Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, and Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, focused on key European Union priorities ahead of Lithuania’s upcoming six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, according to Liberal Movement leader and Seimas faction chair Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, who spoke to ELTA news agency on Monday.

Čmilytė-Nielsen said the meeting was expected to cover Lithuania’s EU Council presidency preparations, broader EU affairs, and future strategic directions. She added that invitations were extended to senior representatives of all Seimas political groups, marking a departure from the previous foreign policy meeting held over a month ago, which excluded opposition lawmakers.

The last such gathering, held in late February, addressed recent shifts in the international agenda and Lithuania’s stance on key foreign policy and national security issues. Following that meeting, President Nausėda indicated that Lithuania could restore diplomatic relations with China at the level of chargés d’affaires if Beijing were willing.

Lithuania’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2026.