Nausėda: I will be among those who most harshly demand the extension of EU sanctions against Belarus

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated that he will be among those who will most resolutely demand the extension of sanctions against Belarus.

“I will be among those who will most harshly demand the extension of these sanctions,” the head of state said on Tuesday, writes LRT.

According to Nausėda, the Belarusian regime remains a close ally of Russia, continues to arrest political prisoners, and carries out hybrid attacks using balloons with contraband.

The latest incident with the launch of such balloons was recorded last week, when Vilnius airport had to suspend operations three times on Tuesday.

The Lithuanian president previously noted that after this incident, the American side took a tough stance against the Minsk regime, indicating that such actions could hinder the improvement of bilateral relations.

“The reaction was indeed harsh – both in rhetoric and in wording. We will see what conclusions will be drawn from this. However, if the Belarusian regime seeks to normalize relations to at least some extent – I’m not even talking about with the European Union, but at least with the United States of America – it should certainly avoid such signs of escalation,” Nausėda emphasized.

In mid-December, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy John Koul reached an agreement with Alexander Lukashenka's administration on the release of some political prisoners and the lifting of sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilizers. At that time, political observers began to speculate about the possibility of pressure from Washington on Lithuania to resume the transit of these fertilizers through Klaipėda port.

According to Nausėda, no discussions are being held with the United States regarding a possible easing of sanctions, and Washington has never requested this under any circumstances. The President also urged politicians to speculate less about hypothetical scenarios for dialogue with Minsk.

“As for the statement by Mr. [Chairman of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee Remigijus] Matuzas, it was probably a ‘what if’ speculation. Today, speculating about ‘what if’ is simply not very responsible, because we have the situation as it is. It is real, not hypothetical, and unacceptable for us,” he said.

This is how the Lithuanian president commented on Matuzas's statement that Vilnius is discussing the possible content of negotiations with Belarus and options for conducting them on neutral territory.

Since last year, Minsk has been seeking a meeting at the level of ministers or deputy foreign ministers, while due to contraband balloons, Vilnius airport's operations have repeatedly had to be stopped, and Lithuania, in response, temporarily closed its border with Belarus.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys previously stated that by pressuring Lithuania, the Minsk regime seeks international legitimation, and emphasized that such negotiations are not being considered.

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