Lithuanian president flags possible Moscow link in Belarus balloon flights

Recent actions by Belarus, including flights of smuggling balloons and the refusal to allow Lithuanian trucks to cross, may be coordinated with Russia, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said.

He emphasised that technical border issues should not escalate into political confrontation, Caliber.Az reports, citing LRT.

“Lithuania is ready to cooperate on a technical level to find solutions. We will not yield to blackmail, but we will not shut ourselves off either,” Nausėda noted.

He added that the situation does not require escalation: “These are technical matters that border guards on both sides can resolve easily. There is no need to artificially elevate them to a political level.”

Earlier, Lithuania temporarily closed the border with Belarus due to threats related to balloon flights, but reopened it ten days ahead of schedule.

The Mėdaininkai and Šalčininkai checkpoints resumed operations in the early hours of November 20. However, Belarusian authorities still block Lithuanian trucks from crossing.

In early November, when checkpoints were closed, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov stated that further negotiations with Lithuania would be conducted by the Belarusian foreign ministry due to “overreach” by Lithuanian border officials. Vilnius stressed that dialogue should remain technical.

Lithuanian authorities describe the balloon flights as a hybrid attack by Belarus. Nausėda emphasised that Minsk is attempting to exploit the situation and the broader uncertainty surrounding the US-proposed peace plan to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.

“Belarus is a close ally of Russia, so their actions, including destabilising ones, may be coordinated. The more uncertainty and noise, the more advantageous it is for aggressive regimes,” he said, noting that Vilnius is consulting actively with allies, including the United States.

By Jeyhun Aghazada