Lithuania restates conditions for talks with Belarus, says designated official appointed

Lithuania has appointed an official to handle a potential bilateral political meeting with Belarus but insists its previously stated conditions must first be met, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said in an interview with TV3 on Tuesday.

“We could indeed hold that meeting—we have a designated and responsible person for it—but we have clearly communicated to both our strategic partners and the public that we have certain conditions,” Ruginienė stated. “It cannot be a situation where one side prepares while the other does nothing.”

The prime minister reiterated Lithuania’s demands: Belarus must halt the use of meteorological balloons for smuggling across the border, return all detained Lithuanian trucks without additional fines or fees, and prevent illegal migrant crossings. “Once the main conditions are fulfilled, I believe we could then discuss further steps on our side,” she added.

Her comments follow a call last week by US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale, who urged Lithuania to engage in direct political talks with Minsk and restore fertilizer transit. Coale suggested the meeting could take place at the deputy minister level and argued that dialogue with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko should proceed “without preconditions.”

Ruginienė, however, emphasized a lack of goodwill from Minsk and clarified that the US had never pressured Lithuania to resume fertilizer transit. “The Americans never raised the fertilizer transit issue. And since they haven’t, it seems premature for us to discuss it here in Lithuania,” she said.

President Gitanas Nausėda previously stated that political dialogue with Belarus would only be possible if Minsk demonstrated “neighborly goodwill.” Coale visited Lithuania in March, meeting with Nausėda and Ruginienė before traveling to Belarus, where he met Lukashenko. Following the visit, Minsk released over 150 political prisoners, and Washington eased some sanctions.