US tariffs' direct impact on Lithuania should be limited - PM

VILNIUS - As US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose wide-ranging tariffs on allies and competitors on Thursday, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas says their direct impact on Lithuania should be limited.

"The first thing we should look at is which categories will be subject to tariffs, because this will determine how competitive Europe can be in exporting its goods and services. In some cases, it might have a direct impact on Lithuania, but it is not yet expected to be significant," Paluckas told reporters in Klaipeda on Friday.

In his words, Lithuania might be hit with some indirect damage through its trading partners in Europe, but "no dramatic changes are expected today."

Paluckas hopes that the European Union and the US will negotiate and find ways to continue to cooperate as a trade tariff war would mean losses for both sides.

BNS reported earlier that President Gitanas Nauseda believes there are no winners in trade wars. He believes that the US and the EU could still turn disagreements on tariffs into a "positive discussion", and Europe could buy more LNG from the US.