Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Monday that she relocated to Warsaw due to changes in her security arrangements in Lithuania but stressed she does not want to turn the move into a “political drama”.
“Lithuania has been a safe haven for thousands fleeing repression while maintaining a principled stance against the [Belarusian] regime. I certainly do not want to make a political drama out of this situation,” Tsikhanouskaya told reporters at the Lithuanian parliament.
“Yes, we have a new security protocol in Lithuania. That prompted me to decide that I would feel safer in Poland, but this does not mean our relationship is changing,” she said.
Tsikhanouskaya said she will be busy in Poland, where hundreds of thousands of Belarusians live, but she does not plan to cut ties with Lithuania.
“I am very grateful that recent restrictions targeting Belarusians, which were discussed in the parliament, were not adopted. This shows that Lithuanians distinguish between the Belarusian regime and the Belarusian people. I also have many activities in Poland, and I will always return to Lithuania with pleasure. We have many events planned in the future, so we are certainly not ending our relationship,” she said.
Tsikhanouskaya informed Lithuanian lawmakers of her decision to move to Warsaw in January.
Lithuania reduced her security detail at the end of 2025, citing a decreased threat level. Critics argued the move undermined her status.
Tsikhanouskaya ran against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 Belarusian election. The opposition claims she was the real winner, and Lithuania and other Western countries do not recognise Lukashenko’s victory.
Asking US not to pressure Europeans on sanctions
Tsikhanouskaya also said she has been asking US partners not to pressure Europeans to ease sanctions on Belarus.
“We are in constant communication with our American partners and urge them not to put pressure on EU countries, primarily Lithuania, to lift European sanctions,” Tsikhanouskaya told reporters Monday.
“We all understand that if, for example, sanctions on potash fertilisers were lifted, it would only strengthen the regime [of President Lukashenko] and provide more funds for repression and the war in Ukraine,” she added.
Her remarks follow an interview with public broadcaster LRT last week in which US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale called on Lithuania to restore the transit of Belarusian fertilisers and hold a high-level meeting with Minsk.
Tsikhanouskaya urged Europeans not to mirror US President Donald Trump’s policy of rapprochement with Lukashenko.
“President Trump has enough influence to help Belarusians free all political prisoners. However, we ask Europeans to keep their strongest cards for more significant steps, because while the release of political prisoners is our priority, our task is to liberate the entire country,” Tsikhanouskaya said.
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