Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stated that Latvia and Estonia are ready to show solidarity with Vilnius if the situation with Belarusian contraband balloons does not change. According to her, Poland has already joined Lithuania, refusing to open its borders with Belarus. This is reported by LRT, writes UNN.
Details
Šimonytė reported that after Lithuania closed its border with Belarus, neighboring Baltic countries promised to act jointly in case of further escalation.
I received the same assurance from the Prime Ministers of Latvia and Estonia. If we see that we are unable to control the situation, and the Belarusian regime continues to attack us, they are also ready to show solidarity.
Poland has already confirmed its readiness for joint action: Prime Minister Donald Tusk, according to Šimonytė, promised not to open the Kuznica and Bobrowniki border crossings, which have remained closed since 2021 and 2023, respectively.
I am very grateful to Poland for hearing our plight and showing solidarity
Recall
The escalation was caused by a wave of weather balloons launched from Belarusian territory, which were used to smuggle cigarettes and led to the closure of several Lithuanian airports in late October. This affected over 150 flights and 20,000 passengers. Lithuania considered the incident a hybrid attack by the regime of Alexander Lukashenka, which has already been condemned by EU and NATO leaders.
The Lithuanian government closed the border with Belarus until at least November 30, after which the issue of extending the restrictions will be reconsidered. In response, Minsk banned Lithuanian trucks from returning home, stating that it would not allow this until the border is opened.