Belarusians may face same restrictions as Russians – Lithuania’s security official

April 3, BPN. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda may veto the law on restrictions to Russian and Belarusian nationals if it exempts Belarusians from some restrictions, Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuanian president’s chief adviser on national security, told LRT on April 2.

Lithuania should keep its doors open to the Belarusian and Russian regime critics and respect the rights of Belarusians and Russians residing in the country, but it should not differentiate politically between Russia and Belarus, the official stressed.

Lithuania advocates sanctions both against Russia and Belarus in the European Union and internationally and cannot make any distinctions on the national level, as it would send a wrong message, Budrys noted.  

On March 21, Lithuanian MPs approved the first reading of a bill that would make Russians and Belarusians ineligible to apply for Lithuanian citizenship over the war in Ukraine. The bill caused an outcry both in the Belarusian diaspora and Lithuanian agencies.

It proposes that Lithuania stop accepting Schengen visa and residence permit applications from Russian and Belarusian nationals, except in cases when authorized by the Lithuanian foreign ministry. The bill also bans the issue of Lithuanian national visas.

On March 29, the Seimas’ national security committee approved some amendments to the bill postponing the ban on resident permit applications for Belarusians until July 1. It also added exceptions to the proposed ban on citizenship applications from Russians and Belarusians, except for applicants who meet the naturalization requirements and are not a threat to national security and public order.

The vote on the bill is expected on April 4.