Lithuania would agree to send an ambassador to Minsk for negotiations 0 5

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys says that Lithuania would agree to send an ambassador to Belarus for negotiations of special envoys.

"Such a level would be possible on our part. We have provided for this. We have repeatedly made such an offer to Belarus both verbally and in writing," said the head of the Lithuanian diplomatic service on Friday in the 15min program "Let's Discuss. With Tadas Ignatavičius."

The minister expressed doubt about the usefulness of negotiations with Belarus and claims that more serious negotiations with the neighboring country should receive "approval at the national level."

"In general, we need to answer the question: what are our expectations, what will this give us? When you go to negotiations, you bring different things – heavy and light, you see the process and what we want to achieve, and what we will actually negotiate about here? These are things that we have no authority to discuss because they fall within the competence of the European Union. Sanctions are immediately off the table because this is not just Lithuania's issue," said Budrys.

The recent increase in smuggling from Belarus using balloons has disrupted the operations of Vilnius and Kaunas airports several times in recent months. Air smuggling incidents led Vilnius to restrict the operation of border points with Belarus for several weeks, and Minsk is now refusing to let trucks registered in Lithuania leave its country. Lithuanian leadership considers these actions a hybrid attack by the Minsk regime.