Lithuania urged not to offer political concessions to Minsk, says Tsikhanouskaya’s advisor

Lithuania should not propose political or economic concessions to Belarus at this time, a senior advisor to opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told BNS on Wednesday, responding to US calls for bilateral talks with Minsk.

Dzianis Kuchynski, Tsikhanouskaya’s representative, stated that any dialogue or resumption of potash fertiliser transit through Lithuania would be premature. “In our view, now is not the time for Lithuania to offer [Alexander] Lukashenko any political or economic concessions, such as political dialogue or potash transit,” he said.

Kuchynski argued that Lukashenko’s goal is not cooperation but undermining Lithuania and broader democratic institutions. “Such steps would lead nowhere,” he said, praising Prime Minister Ingrida Ruginienė’s firm stance against fertiliser transit negotiations. “We are personally grateful to her and the government for their strong position on this and other issues,” he added.

The advisor emphasised that repression in Belarus continues, with new political prisoners replacing those released. “This is a cycle meant to create an illusion of change,” he said, accusing Lukashenko of deepening his role as “Putin’s accomplice” in Russia’s war against Ukraine and sustaining hybrid attacks on Lithuania and Poland.

Kuchynski called on European partners, including Lithuania, to maintain pressure through sanctions and non-recognition of Lukashenko’s regime. “Pressure—economic decline and fear of prosecution in The Hague—is what forces Lukashenko to make limited concessions, like releasing political prisoners,” he said, warning that any hesitation would be seen as weakness.

He also expressed hope that the US would not push Lithuania or the EU toward concessions, following reports that US envoy John Coale suggested a vice-ministerial meeting and called fertiliser transit beneficial for Washington.

Last week, Coale met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Ruginienė to discuss Minsk’s hybrid threats. Nausėda later stated that dialogue with Belarus is possible only if Minsk demonstrates a willingness to improve neighbourly relations—a signal not yet observed.