Lithuanian PM pours cold water on Belarus ties No grounds for improvement

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has said she does not foresee any improvement in relations with Belarus in the near future, citing Minsk’s confrontational approach toward Vilnius.

Ruginienė stated that Belarus prioritizes “demonstrating strength” in its interactions with Lithuania, leaving little room for constructive engagement. She stressed that there are currently no grounds for a thaw in bilateral ties, Caliber.Az reports, citing Lithuanian media.

The prime minister noted that she recently discussed the state of relations between Vilnius and Minsk with Belarusian opposition figure Maryia Kalesnikava, who is visiting Lithuania.

“As long as Belarus continues to display aggression, as long as it understands only the language of force and believes that pressure is the only way to influence us, we see no opportunity to even slightly unfreeze these relations,” Ruginienė said. “We do not communicate in the language of force, and we make that position absolutely clear.” 

By Vafa Guliyeva