Lithuania will press the Belarusian government, with backing from the European Union and the United States, to stop smugglers’ balloons from entering its airspace, and is prepared to impose national measures if those efforts fail, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said Thursday.
Speaking to LRT RADIO, Ruginienė said the government is considering national sanctions against Belarus or reintroducing a border closure but will first seek a solution with support from allies.
“The Foreign Ministry is actively working at the European Commission level, with the Commission’s full backing, on a new sanctions package,” she said.
“I have already spoken with the US special envoy for Belarus and will have an in-person meeting. We will also discuss joint action with our strategic partners,” she added. “And third, if this does not help, we will seriously consider national sanctions and closing the border.”
Ruginienė noted that balloon incursions were minimal when Lithuania closed its border with Belarus for several weeks in late October.
President Gitanas Nausėda has said Lithuania could freeze or confiscate Belarusian assets in the country as Minsk continues to block Lithuanian trucks from leaving its territory.
Smugglers’ balloons have repeatedly disrupted flights at Lithuanian airports – mostly in Vilnius – in recent months.
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