Lithuania’s prime minister says Poland maintains limited political contact with Belarus

Poland has some level of political engagement with Belarus, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė told reporters on Wednesday, citing ongoing exchanges of political prisoners as a key channel of communication.

Speaking to journalists, Ruginienė noted that Warsaw and Minsk continue to conduct prisoner swaps, with a recent release of detained individuals marking progress in bilateral relations. She added that further discussions on higher-level political cooperation could take place during her planned meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in June.

“As far as I know, Poland does have certain contact with Belarus,” Ruginienė said. “We have exchanged political prisoners, and quite recently, a significant number were released. This process is running smoothly and consistently—that is the most important thing.”

She confirmed she had no immediate details on additional steps but expressed hope that her June meeting with Tusk would provide an opportunity for deeper discussion.

Lithuania, however, remains firm in its conditions for resuming high-level dialogue with Minsk. Ruginienė reiterated that any normalization would depend on Belarus meeting three key demands: halting cross-border smuggling via drones, returning all detained Lithuanian trucks without financial penalties, and stopping illegal migrant flows across the border.

Earlier reports indicated Lithuania was considering a US proposal to hold vice-ministerial talks with Belarus—provided Minsk complies with Vilnius’ conditions.

The comments follow the release of Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian journalist and critic of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, who was freed from a Belarusian prison this week. Poczobut, a correspondent for Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza and an active member of Belarus’ Polish minority, had been sentenced to eight years in 2023 on charges of “inciting hatred” and “harming national security.” Human rights group Viasna had listed him as a political prisoner, and he was awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2023.