Foreign minister to meet with Ukraine's president-elect in Kiev

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius is starting on Thursday a visit to Kiev that includes a meeting with Ukraine's president-elect, Volodymyr Zelensky.

This marks the Lithuanian minister's first visit to Ukraine after the presidential election.

"We expect to maintain a close relationship and cooperation between Lithuania and Ukraine," Rasa Jakilaitiene, the minister's advisor, told BNS on the eve of the visit.

"We are ready to continue to help Ukraine fight corruption and integrate into Western structures," she added.

In Kiev, Linkevicius is also scheduled to meet with outgoing President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, as well as with Lithuanian experts working in Ukraine.

Zelensky, an actor with no political background, defeated the incumbent president in Sunday’s runoff election with 73.22 percent of the vote.