Ambassador Vygaudas Ušackas joined the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991 after obtaining his Law Degree from Vilnius University and completing post-graduate education in Political Sciences in Denmark and Norway.
In his distinguished career in the Foreign Service, Vygaudas served as Counselor to the Lithuanian Mission to both the EU and NATO from 1992 to 1996; Political Director of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 1999; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and Chief Negotiator for Lithuania’s Accession to the European Union from 1999 to 2001; Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States of America and the United Mexican States from 2001 to 2006; Ambassador of Lithuania to the Court of St. James from 2006 to 2008; and was Lithuanian Foreign Minister from 2008 to 2010. Further diplomatic postings included Ambassador of the European Union to the Russian Federation from September 2013 until October 2017 and European Union Special Representative and Head of the Delegation in Afghanistan from April 2010 till September 2013.
Vygaudas later worked as the Director of the Institute of Europe at Kaunas Technological University from October 2017 to November 2018, joining the Board of Directors at the global multi-service aviation holding Avia Solutions Group.
Ambassador Ušackas is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, member of the Advisory Council of Kabul based “Heart of Asia Society”, and, as of April 2021, a member of the Senior Network of the European Leadership Network. In the above capacities, Amb. Vygaudas Ušackas continues to participate in various Track-2 diplomacy projects related to the EU/NATO – Russia relations and developments in and around Afghanistan.
During the course of his career, Ušackas has received numerous awards, including Order for Merits to Lithuania, Cross of Commander, State awards of Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Norway, Poland, Spain and Ukraine; award for merits to the city of Utena and Member of honour of Lithuanian Students’ Union. He was awarded the Honorary Citizenship of his home town Skuodas in 2010 and Ukmerge in 2013. In 2014, Vygaudas Ušackas was bestowed an Honorary Doctor’s Degree in Political Science of Vytautas Magnus University of Kaunas. He is fluent in English and Russian and has a working knowledge of French. Mr Ušackas is married and has two children.