{"id":170809,"date":"2026-01-07T17:07:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T14:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/170809\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"lithuanian-pm-urges-trucking-companies-to-sue-minsk-over-stranded-vehicles","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/170809\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuanian PM urges trucking companies to sue Minsk over stranded vehicles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

January<\/strong> 7, <\/strong>Pozirk<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/strong> Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginien\u0117 has advised road carriers to take legal action against Minsk, not Vilnius, commenting on their intention to sue her government over trucks stranded in Belarus, Delfi<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Belarusian side is holding these trucks and has not explained the legal grounds why it does so,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She urged Lithuanian companies to take inventory how many trucks remain in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll must diligently do their homework and see the real numbers, and then we will talk about it,\u201d she is quoted as saying. On December 23, she said that Minsk had released most of the trucks, but road carriers questioned that claim. Earlier, she said that around 185 trucks remained in Belarus.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius kept the Medininkai\u2013Kamienny \u0141oh and \u0160al\u010dininkai\u2013Bieniakoni checkpoints at the shared border closed from October 29 to November 20 over incursions by air balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes from Belarus. Dozens of Lithuanian trucks remain stranded on Belarusian territory since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk barred these cargo vehicles from leaving the country and ordered them to move to guarded parking sites. Lithuania, in turn, accused Belarus of escalation by seizing the vehicles and preventing their return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius has ignored Minsk\u2019s appeals for direct diplomatic talks because it significantly downgraded official contacts after what it called rigged 2020 presidential election in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk pushes for consultations between the countries\u2019 foreign ministries, while Lithuania views possible talks as an effort to break the international isolation of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s regime and potentially pave the way for easing sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at a government conference on December 9, the Belarusian ruler outlined what Minsk would like to discuss at potential talks with Vilnius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGive us back the 17 or 20 trucks that you stole. The fire trucks that we shipped to Zimbabwe. Normalize operations of our health resort, where we treated Chernobyl children. They actually took the health resort away from children. And give us back the money we spent on building a port [in Lithuania],\u201d he was quoted by state media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka was likely referring to the Belorus health resort in Druskininkai and Belarusian potash giant Bie\u0142aruskalij\u2019s 30-percent stake in Biri\u0173 Krovini\u0173 Terminalas (BKT), a Klaipeda dry cargo terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius suspended Belarusian fertilizer transshipments through the port of Klaipeda on February 1, 2022, punishing Minsk for human rights abuses. Bie\u0142aru\u015bkalij has been under the EU sanctions since 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 2022, the Belarusian strongman accused Lithuania of expropriating Bie\u0142aruskalij\u2019s properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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