18 June 2026

Virginijus Sinkevičius is set to become Lithuania’s next prime minister, with Gintautas Paluckas presenting the move as part of a governing coalition deal nearing completion. Parliament is also moving decisions on ILTE, keeping attention on the shape of the next cabinet and control over state investment policy.

Army chief Raimundas Vaikšnoras said more clarity on a new US troop rotation in Lithuania should come soon. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas had earlier told parliament that Washington promised to replace the departing rotation, but gave no dates or numbers. Vaikšnoras also said Lithuania could receive drone interception systems later this year. In a separate assessment, he did not rule out sending Lithuanian troops to missions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Lithuanian instructors in the UK-led Interflex mission have now trained 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers as of today. Active reserve troops are also training combat skills in the Engineers’ Crash exercise. Border guards turned back 12 migrants at the Belarus border over the past 24 hours.

Vilnius laser company Altechna said over the past two days that its order book rose 41% on demand from AI projects and defence applications. In energy, INIKTI and Energy Balancing announced a partnership they say could raise revenues for power producers by up to 70%. Geneticist Vaidas Dirsė told LRT that genes account for only 10-20% of lifespan, with sleep, stress control, diet and exercise doing most of the work. A court imposed a 10-year prison sentence and asset confiscation for trafficking a large quantity of cocaine, while public attention was also drawn to a case in which a mother returned to a car and found the baby she had left inside dead.

President Gitanas Nausėda said Lithuania backs a more ambitious future EU budget and is ready to increase its contribution. Meanwhile, law enforcement is continuing to investigate the circumstances of MP Jevgenijus Šuklinas’ death.

Moscow and the surrounding region came under a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack overnight and into today, with Russia’s defence ministry and mayor Sergei Sobyanin reporting multiple interceptions. The strike set the capital’s biggest oil refinery on fire about 15 km from the Kremlin, and Ukrainian military intelligence official Andriy Kovalenko said the primary processing unit was burning. Air traffic around Moscow was also disrupted, with some airports temporarily halting operations and evacuating people.

Russia struck Kyiv with rockets at dawn today, damaging homes and infrastructure in several districts of the capital. Explosions were heard across the city as residents ran to shelters and air defences engaged incoming missiles and drones. Public transport and power supply were briefly disrupted in parts of Kyiv, while rescue crews checked impact sites and assessed possible casualties.

In Sumy region, Russian forces carried out more than 90 strikes over the past day across six communities and wounded three people. Authorities in the border area were still assessing damage to civilian sites and transport links today. Ukraine also received the bodies of 522 dead people from Russia today, and officials have begun identification work while arranging further repatriations with mediators and international organisations.

Ukrainian strikes also reached occupied Crimea, where reports said about 20 explosions hit a railway bridge over the North Crimean Canal. The target was a transport link used by Russian forces to sustain logistics on the peninsula.

The US announced a new multi-billion-dollar military aid package for Ukraine that includes 700 cruise missiles. Washington also sent a positive signal on a permanent US military base in Poland, while Russia is increasing military spending by 40%.

Donald Trump said today he signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran to end the war, and the White House said it took effect immediately. The text calls for an immediate and permanent halt to military operations, while Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad helped mediate the talks. Tehran had earlier said the final document was not ready, leaving the next step dependent on whether all parties formally lock in the deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency said today it is ready to help implement the U.S.-Iran peace agreement, although nuclear clauses and Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remain unresolved. In historical context, an earlier draft pointed to reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

The Israeli army said yesterday that one of its soldiers was killed in southern Lebanon by a Hezbollah explosive drone. Israeli officials the same day said they were widening ground operations in the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al Saluki areas, with no public timeline for ending them. Lebanon reported three dead over the past day in Israeli strikes, adding fresh casualties on the border.

In San Francisco, OpenAI chief Sam Altman said yesterday that artificial intelligence will change daily life on a scale not seen since electricity was adopted. He said the shift will come through broad deployment, with AI moving deeper into coding, customer service and back-office work. Taiwan’s top representative in Washington said today that Taipei wants the stalled $14 billion U.S. arms package moved quickly, while a separate $11 billion deal has also yet to advance. Apple said rising prices for AI-focused chips will lift production costs, and an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already killed more than 200 people.

U.S. forces ended the blockade of Iranian ports as Washington and Tehran begin a 60-day negotiation period. The U.S. has already allowed at least 12 ships to pass, and President Donald Trump called the deal a U.S. victory. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, an Ebola outbreak has killed more than 200 people.