The President of Lithuania wants to limit transit to Kaliningrad and close the border with Belarus

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda proposes limiting transit to Kaliningrad and permanently closing the border with Belarus in response to balloon incursions from that country, the Lithuanian portal LRT reported on Sunday.

“The President views the recent incidents and disruptions in airport operations as a hybrid attack on Lithuania that requires both a symmetric and asymmetric response,” the presidential administration said in a statement.

According to the president, the government should propose response options in the coming days. “Among the options being considered are the permanent closure of the border with Belarus and restrictions on transit to Kaliningrad,” the statement reads.

On Tuesday, the president will convene an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss these issues, the head of state's administration announced.

Hot air balloons sent from Belarus disrupted traffic at Vilnius airport for two days in a row, and also at Kaunas airport on one day. In total, air traffic has been disrupted three times this week due to such incidents. In response, Lithuania temporarily closed its border with Belarus several times.

Belarusian weather balloons have become one of the methods of cigarette smuggling, the use of which – according to the Lithuanian side – is to be authorized by Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of the Kremlin in the war with Ukraine. (PAP)

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