{"id":181073,"date":"2026-03-26T12:17:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/181073\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T14:25:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T11:25:20","slug":"stranded-lithuanian-trucks-start-returning-from-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/181073\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranded Lithuanian trucks returning from Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (State Customs Committee)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

March 26, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Lithuanian trucks stranded in Belarus since last fall have started returning home, with 45 vehicles entering via Kamienny-\u0141oh\u2013Medininkai and 55, via Bieniakoni\u2013\u0160al\u010dininkai, LRT<\/em> reports, citing Elta<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the truck drivers are Belarusian nationals holding Lithuanian residence permits, said Giedrius Mi\u0161utis of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first trucks reportedly entered Lithuania at 5 am on March 24, a day after Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka announced his decision to allow Lithuanian-registered freight vehicles to leave the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore than 1,900 vehicles, including tractor-trailers, trailers and semi-trailers, are parked at designated parking lots. Their complete safety has been ensured throughout the entire period,\u201d the Belarusian State Customs Committee said three days ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of foreign-registered trucks, mostly from Lithuania, have been stranded in Belarus since last fall. Minsk barred the trucks from leaving the country after Vilnius closed the Medininkai\u2013Kamienny \u0141oh and \u0160al\u010dininkai\u2013Bieniakoni border checkpoints for three weeks in late October and November 2025, following incursions by air balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes from Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus pushed for consultations between the two countries\u2019 foreign ministries, while Lithuania rejected direct diplomatic talks, having significantly downgraded official contacts after what it described as Belarus\u2019 rigged 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius views political negotiations with Minsk as an attempt to break the international isolation of \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s regime and potentially pave the way for easing sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk\u2019s holding hundreds of foreign-registered trucks in the country since November is unacceptable and unjustified, the European Commission responded to a complaint by LINAVA, the Lithuanian National Road Carriers Association, that cited significant property damage caused by Minsk\u2019s refusal to release the vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka announced the release of Lithuanian trucks on March 20, one day after his talks with John Coale, US special envoy for Belarus, who negotiated the release of 250 jailed Belarusian dissidents and\u00a0raised Lithuania\u2019s \u200cconcerns over stranded trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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