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Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said he hopes that next week the European Union’s foreign ministers will agree to impose new sanctions on Belarus over meteorological balloons that continue to enter Lithuanian airspace. The report comes from LRT, citing BNS.
“I believe that next week, after the meeting in Germany, when I go to the Foreign Affairs Council on Thursday, (…) I will have broad support at the negotiating table, and we will be able to fully engage the European Commission and all its legal mechanisms,” he said.
Budrys discussed the situation this week with his counterparts from the United States and Poland. Meetings with the foreign ministers of Latvia and Estonia are scheduled for Friday. According to the minister, these contacts make it possible to expect a faster agreement on the new sanctions package.
“All this work really allows us to hope that we will act more quickly on the issue of sanctions against Belarus and will not wait for the 20th sanctions package,” he noted.
Lithuania has repeatedly suspended airport operations due to meteorological balloons launched from Belarus, which are used to transport smuggled cigarettes. Lithuanian authorities consider this part of a hybrid attack by Minsk. The actions have been condemned by EU leaders, and NATO has expressed its support for Vilnius.
Due to threats to civil aviation, Lithuanian authorities closed the border with Belarus for a month with some exceptions. The decision is in effect until November 30, after which the government will decide whether to extend it. In a show of support for Lithuania, Poland postponed the reopening of two border crossings with Belarus.
According to Budrys, Vilnius intends to continue coordinating its actions with Warsaw.
“The situation differs somewhat at certain points between Poland and Belarus. (…) When Poland decided to postpone this date (the reopening of border checkpoints – BNS), it was truly a good and solidary step by our ally and neighbor. We will continue to coordinate our actions. I don’t want to get ahead of myself and say how everything will unfold, but I hope that the Belarusian regime will change its behavior and we won’t need all these measures,” the minister said.