Lithuania Refuses Border Talks with Belarus Amid Ongoing Tensions

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania’s foreign minister announced on Tuesday that he will refuse to engage in discussions with Belarus regarding the reopening of their border. This decision comes after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko directed his foreign minister to initiate negotiations.

Last month, Lithuania closed two of its border crossings with Belarus, effective until the end of November. This action was taken in response to repeated incursions of weather balloons, which Lithuania claims are being used by smugglers to transport contraband, disrupting air traffic and causing significant delays at Vilnius airport.

Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, speaking from Washington, emphasized that “Lukashenko does not set the rules.” He reiterated his recommendation to the Lithuanian government to avoid discussions that could be perceived as bowing to pressure from Belarus. “We are not left alone; we have full involvement of the USA,” Budrys stated in an interview with the news outlet 15min.lt.

Budrys recently met with U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump‘s special envoy to Belarus, John Coale. The U.S. has increased its engagement with Belarus, renewing dialogue after years of sanctions and isolation under Lukashenko’s regime.

In a recent context, Belarus released 52 prisoners in September after intervention from U.S. President Trump, as part of ongoing efforts to repair ties with America. These prisoners had been part of larger calls for freedom that Trump had previously advocated.

According to Belarusian state news agency Belta, Lukashenko ordered talks to normalize conditions at the border following his meeting with top officials. He instructed his foreign minister to “organize negotiations on the normalization of the situation and the resumption of fully functional border crossing points.” Notably, Lukashenko has previously described the border closure as a “crazy scam” and accused Western nations of instigating a “hybrid war.”

Budrys stated that Lithuania would not consider reopening the border until the flights of the balloon invasions cease and the approximately 1,000 trucks owned by Lithuanian businesses that are currently stranded in Belarus are permitted to return home.