Lithuanian president highlights energy independence and transatlantic cooperation at Three Seas Initiative summit

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda participated in the Three Seas Initiative summit in Dubrovnik on Tuesday, where regional leaders discussed energy, infrastructure, and geopolitical security challenges, LRT reports.

According to the Presidential Office, Nausėda emphasised that the initiative’s focus has expanded to include new priorities such as military mobility, critical infrastructure protection, and cybersecurity amid the current security environment. He underscored that energy independence remains a cornerstone of national security.

“The synchronisation of the Baltic states’ electricity grids with continental Europe in 2025 helped achieve full energy independence. This is an excellent example of regional cooperation,” Nausėda stated. He also highlighted the importance of transatlantic collaboration, noting the United States’ role in strengthening the region’s energy security. Lithuania serves as a key entry point for US liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the region, with some supplies reaching Ukraine.

Nausėda described the Three Seas Initiative as a driver of transatlantic cooperation, ensuring a strategic US presence on NATO’s and the EU’s eastern flank. He urged member states to increase defence funding and rapidly expand their defence industries, stressing that countries on the eastern flank must take a leading role in these efforts.

The summit also focused on Ukraine, with Nausėda condemning Russia’s attacks on civilian infrastructure, particularly in the energy sector. He called for continued and strengthened support for Ukraine in response to these threats.

The Three Seas Initiative brings together 13 EU member states from the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Sea regions: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Greece. Strategic partners include the US, Germany, Japan, the European Commission, Spain, and Turkey, while associated partners from the Eastern Neighbourhood and Western Balkans—Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, and Montenegro—also participate.