British News Agency

Foreign Minister Budrys stated that today marks the 85th anniversary of the Sumner Welles Declaration—a bold statement by the United States condemning the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

Recalling that the US declared it would never recognize the legitimacy of this occupation when the three Baltic countries were forcibly annexed by the Soviet Union, Budrys said:

“The Welles Declaration was not only symbolic; it was also a diplomatic lifeline confirming that Lithuania’s diplomatic missions abroad remained open, the Lithuanian flag continued to fly, and our diplomats acted on behalf of a country erased from maps but not from law. Fifty other countries followed the US and never recognized the occupation of the Baltic countries.”

Budrys emphasized that the Welles Declaration defended the continuity of the Lithuanian state and embodied a simple but powerful truth: “No country can ever gain territory through aggression.”