Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed on Tuesday the situation in Lithuania caused by smugglers' balloons launched from Belarus, the president's office said.
In their telephone conversation, Nausėda stressed that "this is an unprecedented hybrid attack against Lithuania, posing a direct threat to civil aviation safety, disrupting the operations of Vilnius Airport and affecting 20,000 passengers," his office said in a press release.
The president also thanked the NATO chief for his show of solidarity, it added.
Lithuanian airports were closed four times last week due to weather balloons used to smuggle cigarettes from Belarus, affecting more than 140 flights and over 20,000 passengers.
Lithuania has also shut its last two operating border crossings with Belarus – at Šalčininkai and Medininkai – indefinitely due to the threat posed by smugglers' balloons.
Lithuanian leaders have described the incident as a hybrid attack by Belarus.
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