Lithuania could reopen its two recently closed border crossings with Belarus earlier than planned, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Monday, signalling a potential shift in the government’s response to what it has called hybrid attacks from Minsk.
Asked at the parliament, Seimas, whether the Medininkai and Šalčininkai checkpoints could resume operations before the current November 30 deadline, Budrys said the government should rely on the same criteria that led to the closures.
“I believe that we should be guided by the same reasons and parameters that led to the decisions being made. I think this is something that should be considered,” he told reporters.
Lithuania shut the two border crossings at the end of October after authorities reported a surge in smuggling balloons drifting from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace. Officials say the balloons posed a threat to civil aviation and also that they were part of a hybrid operation orchestrated by the Belarusian government of Alexander Lukashenko.
EU leaders have condemned Belarus’ actions, and NATO has expressed support for Lithuania.
Budrys said Monday that the purpose of the border closure was never tied to a specific date but aimed at curbing “hybrid tactics” designed to pressure Lithuania.
“We are watching what is happening in the sky and on the ground, whether we are functioning or not. It is not and has never been our task to achieve something by a certain date or some even higher goals. The aim is to prevent hybrid attacks against us in order to change the regime’s behaviour,” he said.
Minsk retaliated against the closures by banning Lithuanian trucks on its territory from returning home. Belarusian authorities said the trucks will remain in designated parking lots and be charged parking fees until Lithuania reopens the crossings.
Budrys indicated Monday that the security situation has begun to stabilise.
“As I see it, the situation today, even with the weather conditions favourable for hybrid attacks against us, is being taken under control. In the sense that our airports are functioning,” he said.
Lithuania has allowed some exceptions to the border restrictions, but the two checkpoints remain fully closed as the government continues to assess risks linked to Belarus’ actions.
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