Lithuanian president hopes to end Belarus balloon crisis, vows efforts to recover trucks

VILNIUS - President Gitanas Nauseda said on Tuesday he hoped Lithuania and its allies would secure a lasting solution to the recent crisis involving smugglers' balloons from Belarus and vowed to use all available means to recover Lithuanian trucks stranded in the neighboring country.

"I believe that by working in a comprehensive manner we can turn this stabilized situation into a sustainable one," Nauseda told the Ziniu Radijas radio station.

Smugglers' balloons launched from Belarus disrupted operations at Lithuanian airports more than a dozen times in recent months.

No such incidents have been recorded in recent weeks following a visit to Belarus by US President Donald Trump's envoy John Coale.

After the visit, the envoy said Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had promised to stop smugglers' balloons flying from his country into Lithuania.

Nauseda said progress in resolving the crisis was the result of combined efforts by Lithuania and its allies.

He added that the issue was not purely political but also involved practical measures to combat smuggling, saying Lithuanian services had delivered "very clear results."

Despite the apparent halt in balloon launches, Lithuanian haulers say Minsk continues to block their trucks from leaving the country after Vilnius temporarily closed its border with Belarus in the fall.

Nauseda said Lithuania was still open to talks with Belarus at a technical level to resolve the issue.

"If there is even minimal willingness on the other side, we will use all means to resolve this, and we are already doing so," he said.

Nauseda also dismissed speculation that Washington could pressure Lithuania to resume the transit of Belarusian fertilizers through the port of Klaipeda following a US announcement in December about plans to lift sanctions on Belarusian fertilizers.

He said the United States had not raised the issue and stressed that Lithuania continued to support sanctions against Belarus, including restrictions on fertilizers, as the reasons for imposing them remained in place.