UK-Lithuania joint declaration on bilateral cooperation 2022 - GOV.UK 05/08/2022, 19:14 respected. We will work together with other NATO Allies and Euro-Atlantic partners to protect our national security interests, increase resilience, and address any malign Russian activity. The Russian people, as any other people, have the right to freedom, democracy and prosperity. We will continue our engagement with Russian civil society and independent media. 6. Ukraine. Lithuania and the UK remain steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression. This is a clear violation of the sovereignty, freedom and independence of a democratic European country and a flagrant breach of Russia’s obligations under international law. We remain committed to supporting Ukraine at pace with military aid to ensure Ukraine is best able to defend itself. We reaffirm our readiness to continue providing significant economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine and our partners in the region, both in the short and long term. We will continue to impose unprecedented sanctions on Putin’s regime in response to its illegal invasion, and will seek to ensure that Belarus is also held to account for its involvement. With Russia’s actions fundamentally challenging the security architecture of the Euro-Atlantic area, we will work closely together to ensure such actions remain unacceptable and that no other nation can fall victim to attempts of violent expansionism. 7. Indo-Pacific and China. With the global political and economic balance shifting to the Indo-Pacific, both Lithuania and the UK have a shared interest in strengthening our partnerships and engagement in and beyond the region, with a view to tackling emerging global challenges and advancing the cause of freedom. Lithuania and the UK recognise that China poses systemic challenges associated with its growing assertiveness. In this regard we will, in cooperation with the US, European partners, and regional actors, work together to support free and sustainable economic growth in the region, uphold global norms and principles, and defend our interests and shared values. We call on China to comply with its international obligations, including on human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. We will work with international partners to increase our economic resilience in the face of arbitrary and coercive economic policies and practices. We express our https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-lithuania-joint-declar…n-2022/uk-lithuania-joint-declaration-on-bilateral-cooperation-2022 Page 5 of 13