Ukraine Mine Action Coalition: first meeting held

In Lithuania on Thursday, January 11, the first meeting of coalition partners for the demining of Ukraine took place. Its participants, along with representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Defense Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, discussed the plans and further work of the coalition. This was reported by the press service of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, which heads the coalition.

“This is the first working meeting where Ukraine’s needs in the mine and the specific contribution of each partner state to the coalition were clarified,” said Vaidotas Urbelis, director of defense policy at the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

According to him, in addition to Lithuania and Ukraine, representatives of 19 countries participated in the meeting in person, and six more countries joined remotely.

“This demonstrates the solidarity of partner states committed to not only meeting immediate needs, but also supporting the long-term development of Ukraine’s demining capabilities,” he said.

The goal of the Ukraine Mine Action Coalition is to consolidate and coordinate existing and future support to mine action in Ukraine from donor countries.

A support fund will also be created to achieve the goals of the coalition, including the acquisition of tools and equipment for demining Ukrainian territory.

The Lithuanian-led coalition will assist Ukraine in both combat and humanitarian demining.

Let’s recall that the creation of a demining coalition to help Kyiv in Lithuania was announced in July 2023. It should combine and coordinate the current and planned assistance to Ukraine in this area.

The minister said how many Ukrainians were killed by Russian mines