November 18, Pozirk. Lithuania’s prime minister has indicated that her cabinet may decide as early as tomorrow whether to reopen the country’s border with Belarus.
“If the situation remains unchanged and we continue to see the same results as we see today, I personally support such a decision. But let’s wait for the government’s decision — after all, it is a collective body,” Inga Ruginienė was quoted as saying by LRT following a technical meeting between border officials from the two countries.
If the checkpoints reopen, Lithuanian-registered trucks “should be allowed to return to Lithuania,” she added.
Ruginienė noted that border guards have recently recorded fewer incursions involving weather balloons used to smuggle cigarettes.
“Over the past week, we have observed only a small number of balloons — from zero to two or three. Most often, they do not cross our border. As you may have noticed, airport operations have not been disrupted, and flights continue as normal,” she said, highlighting what she described as positive signals from Belarus.
She stressed that Vilnius closed the border for security reasons.
Lithuania shut all border crossings on October 29 through November 30 in response to repeated incursions by cigarette-smuggling balloons launched from Belarus.
On Monday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys also suggested that an earlier reopening was possible, while emphasizing that Lithuania’s priority remained countering hybrid threats and pressuring Minsk to change its behavior.
Currently, 1,265 Lithuania-registered trucks are stranded in Belarus as a result of the month-long closure. Minsk has barred Lithuanian trucks from leaving the country and ordered them to guarded parking areas. Vilnius has accused Belarus of further escalating tensions by seizing the vehicles and preventing their return.
