“It would have been a great honor to serve as Lithuania’s European commissioner, but I will continue to serve my country, help Ukraine and fight for Europe’s future in other ways,” Landsbergis said on X.

He has asked Šimonytė to propose another candidate for the president to consider.

Landsbergis shot to international fame in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as he’s been pushing for Western Europe and the U.S. to maximize aid for Kyiv. Vilnius is seeking the EU portfolio for membership enlargement, a key agenda for Ukraine in the next five…