Baltic leaders celebrate plugging into European energy grid with ceremony in Lithuania capital

(9 Feb 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Vilnius, Lithuania - 9 February 2025 1. Wide of the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arriving to ceremony 2. Mid of ceremonyl opening 3. Pan right to left of the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda taking stage 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Gitanas Nausėda, the President of Lithuania: “From now on, having synchronized our electricity systems with the networks of continental Europe, we are fully integrated with the European energy market. Our joint success, which would be impossible without the participation of our close friend Poland, shows the true value of solidarity and unity - the core principles of the European Union. It sends a strong message of encouragement across the entire continent. Everyone can see now that even in these challenging times, great projects of geopolitical importance can and should be implemented. At the same time, we understand there's much more to do. Witnessing systematic attempts to disrupt critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea and also direct military attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, we must work on ensuring the security of our strategic assets. This must be done at both the national and European levels. The goal that we share with Latvia, Estonia, and Poland is to improve our resilience and promote sustainable economic growth. For Lithuania, this means building more links with our neighbors, such as Harmony Link, and developing new ambitious regional projects such as Hydrogen Corridor and Energy Hub.” 5. Mid of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen taking stage 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President: “You knew Russian energy came at a price. Blackmail, price shocks, economic uncertainty. So we acted. With repowering the EU, we slashed our dependency on Russian fossil fuels. We stopped importing Russian coal. We cut Russian oil purchases down to 3%. We reduced gas imports by 75%, and today, the last electricity grids in Europe that were still linked to Russia are now fully integrated in Europe's internal energy market. Our cooperation proves when we stand together, no one can blackmail us. This story is also about resilience. Russia targets European infrastructure, testing our defenses, spreading chaos and fear. And once again, the Baltic states lead by example. You have invested heavily in the cybersecurity of your grids. You're constantly strengthening them and this is how we must think all across Europe.” 7. Wide of Estonian Climate Minister Yoko Alender, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics (left to right) symbolically plugging into European grid 8. Mid of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda (left) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) receiving souvenirs 9. Wide of Polish President Andrzej Duda (left), Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda (middle) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) holding souvenirs 10. Mid of Duda, Nausėda and von der Leyen walking off stage STORYLINE: Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia on Sunday celebrated joining the European energy system with a symbolic ceremony after switching off the Soviet-era grid’s transmission lines, severing the flow of electricity between the Baltic countries and Russia. On Sunday, the Baltic Power System merged with the European energy networks through links with Finland, Sweden and Poland. AP video by Siarhei Satsiuk Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/7d2cd54342044f799ca9bb09edcb9da4