14 May 2026

Strategically important military drills are under way in Lithuania today, with some activities kept out of public view for security reasons. At the same time, an audit found 36 million euros sitting unused in defence funds despite a shortfall in national defence financing.

Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service searched the Seimas offices of Remigijus Zemaitaitis and Daiva Petkeviciene today, then removed several boxes of documents from Nemuno Ausra’s headquarters. Prosecutors linked the operation to a pre-trial investigation into the party’s financing, and the party has already lost a six-month state subsidy worth more than 240,000 euros. President Gitanas Nauseda also vetoed amendments to the Klaipeda port statute that would have allowed ships carrying nuclear weapons to enter the port. Over the past day, Lithuanian armed forces trained with NATO allies to plan operations and coordinate defence plans.

In Kaunas, LTG launched a 45.2 million euro expansion of the Palemonas intermodal terminal that will triple capacity. The transport ministry says the project is critical for moving allied military equipment toward Klaipeda and onward to Latvia and Estonia. In business, Telia unveiled a new artificial intelligence platform for companies, while eBay said it was expanding Baltic firms’ access to 190 markets.

On the household side, Lithuania’s second-pillar pension funds have begun paying savers who left the system, and some of the money is already being used to repay mortgages, consumer loans and car leases early. Vilnius is also hosting Finnish President Alexander Stubb on a state visit at President Gitanas Nauseda’s invitation. In the Mantas Sadauskas murder case, Justina Gaigalaite is seeking lighter detention terms after Ilja Solkanas was released earlier on 5,000-euro bail. Tautvydas Sabonis was named coach of the year in Great Britain.

Lithuania and Ukraine agreed to expand joint drone production. Separately, investigators carried out searches at Remigijus Zemaitaitis’ home, the Aštriečiai headquarters and related offices.

Kyiv was hit by a fresh Russian drone and ballistic missile attack that killed at least four people and injured 16 more. The strike flattened part of an apartment block, sparked fires and damaged infrastructure and residential areas in several districts of the capital.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia launched more than 670 drones and 56 missiles overnight into today. The assault followed another huge wave yesterday, when Ukraine said Russia had already fired at least 800 drones in one of the war’s longest air attacks. Other regions were also struck over the past 24 hours, with local officials reporting casualties including a child. Air raid alerts lasted for hours across the country, while Ukrainian air defences downed some of the incoming weapons in multiple regions.

After the attacks, Zelenskiy renewed his call for stronger air defences and tougher sanctions on Moscow. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin yesterday that Russia is not yet ready for serious talks on ending the war and that allies should keep up military and financial backing for Kyiv. Merz also said the next EU budget should shift more money into investment and less into subsidies, reflecting Berlin’s own push to raise spending on defence and infrastructure.

In Moscow yesterday, Vladimir Putin again called the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile the most powerful in the world and said it should enter combat duty by the end of the year. Russian state media says the missile is meant to replace the Soviet-era Voyevoda as part of a broader nuclear forces upgrade. In Ukraine, a court also authorised the detention of a former Zelenskiy associate in a corruption case.

Twelve people were killed in Kyiv during a massive Russian attack. The UN Security Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on May 19 over the strikes. A Russian fighter jet also accidentally dropped a bomb on Russian territory.

Israeli drone strikes in Lebanon killed at least 12 people yesterday, including a woman and two children. The attacks hit seven vehicles, three of them on a main road south of Beirut, as Washington prepared direct Israel-Lebanon talks on ending the war with Hezbollah and the future of the border.

Washington is also weighing a Ukraine ceasefire formula that would leave a Kremlin-friendly leadership in place in Moscow and ease some sanctions in return for a halt in fighting. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. officials are discussing an approach that links a ceasefire not only to stopping the war, but also to the shape of power inside Russia. In southern Ukraine, Russian drones hit port infrastructure in the Odesa region overnight, damaging piers, warehouses and equipment. Ukrainian officials say earlier strikes in the same area also hit civilian vessels, and cargo handling and ship movements may now be constrained until repairs are completed.

In Beijing, Donald Trump opened high-level talks with Xi Jinping today, with Iran, trade and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan at the top of the agenda. Xi said U.S.-China relations are the world’s most important and warned that the two powers could be drawn into conflict if the Taiwan issue is handled badly. The White House later described the meeting as good, and both sides are trying to secure a limited trade understanding and set up a channel to manage new disputes.

Washington is pressing Beijing over Iran after Energy Secretary Chris Wright told senators today that Tehran is only weeks away from enriching uranium to weapons grade. Marco Rubio has also signalled that the United States wants China’s help in addressing the Hormuz crisis.

Donald Trump said after meeting Xi Jinping that he had secured a commitment from China and that Beijing would order 200 Boeing aircraft. The U.S. president also said Xi offered help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and promised not to supply weapons to Iran.