As Lithuanian trucking companies prepare a protest in Vilnius over thousands of vehicles stranded at the Belarus border, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said the demonstration should be held in Belarus – the country she says launched a hybrid attack against Lithuania using contraband balloons.
The leader of the Farmers and Greens Union, Aurelijus Veryga, has called for declaring an emergency in response to the ongoing balloon incursions.
President Gitanas Nausėda, meanwhile, said Lithuania is taking political steps to counter Belarus’ actions, while the European Commission plans to increase pressure on Minsk. Some analysts say the government’s response so far has been chaotic.
Police intercepted two more contraband balloons in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 17 in just over a week. Beginning Wednesday, Lithuanian troops are assisting police in responding to the continuing balloon crisis.
“All institutions are on high alert today,” Ruginienė said. “Everyone understands these balloons are both contraband and a hybrid attack – two reasons why they are flying.”
Veryga, now a member of the European Parliament, said declaring an emergency situation could help speed up decisions.
“My proposal is more about the form than the substance – it would allow some actions to be taken more efficiently and decisions to be made more quickly,” he said.
Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said authorities are considering whether public-safety concerns justify declaring an emergency. He plans to raise Belarus’ refusal to curb balloon launches in talks in Brussels, along with the need for sanctions – a position shared by Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys.
“This is not a way to get sanctions lifted,” Budrys said. “It is a way to earn more sanctions. Either they stop, or we will continue rallying pressure on Belarus.”
President Nausėda said the EU’s top diplomat has pledged support and that upcoming EU sanctions against Russia may also include more Belarusian entities.
But sanctions alone are insufficient, PM Ruginienė said.
“We have not ruled out national sanctions or closing the border, but for now we need to rely on our strategic partners,” she said.
Political scientist Deividas Šlekys said the government’s balloon response shows a lack of coordination.
“What is being done can be described in one word, chaos,” he said. “Ministers are each doing their own thing. The right messages are being voiced, but where were we a month ago? Partner support should have been priority number one.”
Another unresolved issue is the growing backlog of trucks at the Belarus border. Linava trucking association president Erlandas Mikėnas said 4,000 vehicles, including 1,250 heavy trucks, remain stuck. The association plans a protest next week, lining up more than 100 trucks on Gediminas Avenue in central Vilnius.
Mikėnas said the protest will be peaceful, after independent carriers threatened to block major highways and streets.
“If anyone wants to blame the carriers, they should blame Western European manufacturers who sell goods to Asian markets,” he said. “We simply transport cargo from point A to point B.”
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