{"id":163832,"date":"2025-11-12T14:02:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T11:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/163832\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"lithuanian-fm-border-to-reopen-once-lukasenka-stops-threatening-nato","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/163832\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuanian FM: border to reopen once \u0141uka\u0161enka stops threatening NATO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

November 12, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>Vilnius will open the shared border with Belarus as soon as Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka stops interfering with air traffic in Lithuania and posing a threat to NATO and the European Union, Lithuanian Foreign Minister K\u0119stutis Budrys has told LRT<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u0141uka\u0161enka has taken [Lithuanian trucks] hostage and is trying to turn the whole situation into some kind of imaginary conflict that requires negotiations, which is misleading,\u201d the minister said. “A hybrid attack has been launched. . . The regime [in Minsk] must take the situation with weather balloons under control and stop interfering with our air traffic, then we will have no reason to keep the checkpoints closed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diplomat added that Minsk decided to continue escalating tensions and seize Lithuanian companies’ property, referring to Minsk’s ban on leaving the country for nearly 1,100 Lithuania-registered trucks stranded in Belarus. Their release was linked to border reopening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only de-escalation can help reopen border crossings, otherwise, Lithuania will be forced to take appropriate response measures, Budrys stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tensions between Belarus and Lithuania over cigarette-smuggling balloons have been rising since mid-October, forcing Lithuanian authorities to briefly close the border on several occasions and suspend operations at Vilnius Airport, located close to the Belarusian border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 29, the Lithuanian government ruled to keep the shared border with Belarus closed until November 30 following numerous airspace violations. The closure may be extended, Vilnius warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Border crossings in Medininkai and \u0160al\u010dininkai were the only two checkpoints handling all cross-border traffic between Lithuania and Belarus after Vilnius closed \u0160umskas and Tvere\u010dius crossings in 2023 and Lavori\u0161k\u0117s and Raigardas in 2024, citing national security and smuggling among the reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus described the Lithuanian decision to close the border as \u201ca politicized and ill-considered move\u201d that has caused significant losses for transport companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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