LRT English Newsletter – January 30, 2026.
For decades, Lithuania built its defences around the notion that the United States will remain its main security guarantor. But what happens if that changes?
Over the past few weeks, I spoke to a number of high-level officials to gauge the mood amid the Trump 2.0 uncertainty. So, to put it bluntly:
– Lithuanian officials worry that Trump and Putin will make some sort of a deal over their heads.
– There’s little that Europe can do militarily without the US, for now.
– Call it as you wish, officials said, but Lithuania has few options but to suck up to Washington.
The latter point itself is not a strategy, a Lithuanian analyst said on Wednesday, criticising security policy based on the flaky assumption that “the US loves us”. Last week, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė also claimed in an interview that there was a “plan B and plan C” in case NATO collapses. Her words were dismissed almost immediately, including by senior people within her own party.
FOR SHURE
There is some distance between Lithuanian officials admitting – or stressing – that Europe has to do more for defence, while also blocking (some) efforts to make the EU more independent. For example, officials said they would still not back a more independent EU military structure, as it would rival NATO. Then there’s the other contentious topic – having an EU within the EU. And this one might be a bridge too far for countries like Lithuania.
Echoing Macron’s famous “for shure” speech in Davos last week, Germany has returned to the “two-speed” EU proposals to make the bloc less sluggish by having a core group of countries make the key decisions. Smaller nations, however, have historically been against this, seeing such proposals as a threat to having their voice heard. “Regardless of a country’s size, one clear and strong voice is our security guarantee and gives us strength. If we start dividing countries, that sense of unity gradually fades,” Ruginienė said in Berlin this week.
LANGUAGE POLITICS
Seeking to improve integration, children of non-EU nationals in Vilnius will have to attend Lithuanian-language schools, despite protests from minority groups. Meanwhile, Lithuanian authorities are dealing with the first complaints about service sector workers who cannot speak English.
JUST DON'T ASK ABOUT GREENLAND
The Danish royals paid a state visit to Lithuania this week. However, there were few straightforward statements about Greenland, which comes down to Lithuania’s delicate balancing act – backing Denmark, but not angering the big boy in Washington.
BALLOONS ARE BACK
Vilnius Airport was forced to close earlier this week as smuggling balloons made a comeback following a several-week hiatus. The reasons may be less political and more weather-related, as the last few nights saw favourable winds to launch balloons from Belarus, for the first time in weeks.
As a reminder, US and Lithuanian officials said they heard signs in Minsk that the regime would play ball and stop the smuggling operations, but here we are again. In any case, and despite the disruptions, the balloons saw a limited impact on Lithuania’s tourism sector, as well as threat perception among people in Lithuania.
ECONOMY UPDATES
– Lithuania’s central bank admitted it had missed out on the gold rush.
– Vinted, Revolut are eyeing the American market.
– Checkout.com is coming to Lithuania.
– Could Lithuania profit – or lose – from the EU Mercosur deal?
– And here’s what you can do if your bosses are trying to fire you – illegally.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
– The so-called Brezhnev villa in Palanga will see a makeover.
– Russian opposition figure Leonid Volkov is not a threat, authorities conclude.
– Lithuania’s emigres keep coming back.
– Lithuania has postponed the purchase of Brazilian transport aircraft.
– Around a thousand people protested against plans to establish a new military training area on the edge of the so-called Suwalki Gap.
– Lithuanian officials will have to explain themselves in Brussels over threats to LRT.
– In the first of a three-parter, Valdemaras Klumbys discusses the propaganda psychosis sweeping across Lithuania.
– The Lost Shtetl museum in Lithuania is attracting crowds far and wide.
– And Eurovision is back!
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Justinas Šuliokas
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