Complete closure of Lithuania’s border with Belarus is not necessary at present, says Kęstutis Budrys, national security adviser to the Lithuanian president.
“As a measure that should be prepared and ready, [...] of course, it has to be prepared. Whether there is a need at the moment that closing the border could substantially improve the security situation for us, or act as a measure of influence on the Belarusian regime, I don’t think we need it now,” he told the LRT RADIO on Monday.
Last week, Lithuania closed the Šumskas and Tverečius border checkpoints with Belarus.
Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė then said that Lithuania could close its border with Belarus completely if it received information about incidents or warnings from intelligence bodies, but this should only be done jointly with other neighbours.
The Baltic and Polish ministers are to meet in Warsaw in late August to discuss a mechanism for a “regional decision” should they need to close their borders with Belarus completely, according to the minister.
“We should not forget that this is also the external border of the European Union. It is not only Lithuania’s border. That is why all such decisions must be coordinated,” Budrys noted.
The closure of the two Lithuanian border checkpoints with Belarus came in response to potential threats due to the relocation of some Wagner fighters to the neighbouring country.
Lithuanian and Polish leaders have said there are currently about 4,000 to 4,500 Wagner fighters in Belarus, with some of them stationed close to the two countries' borders.
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