News

On 14 September in Vilnius, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys met with John Coale, the U.S. President’s Special Envoy to Belarus. The Minister discussed with Coale the U.S. administration’s efforts to secure the release of political prisoners unlawfully detained in Belarus, the security situation in the region, and the Belarusian regime’s ongoing actions against Lithuania and neighboring countries.

The Minister thanked the President of the United States Donald Trump, and the U.S. administration for their consistent efforts to secure the release of Belarusian political prisoners.

“The release of political prisoners is an extremely important humanitarian goal. We appreciate the United States’ leadership and efforts to restore freedom to people who have been unlawfully imprisoned for their views and civic activities,” said Budrys.

The Minister emphasized that Lithuania will continue to provide all necessary support for U.S. humanitarian efforts and for the released political prisoners.

The situation in Belarus was also discussed at the meeting. Budrys emphasized that Lithuania views the release of each political prisoner positively, but noted that the overall number of political prisoners in the country remains high and that repression against civil society continues.

Budrys pointed out that Belarus remains closely integrated into Russia’s military and security architecture, continues to support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and contributes to military pressure on the West.

The meeting also addressed the challenges posed by irregular migration from Belarus. The Minister noted that, following a temporary decline in early summer, irregular migration flows are on the rise again, and the scale of secondary migration through Latvia is also increasing.

Budrys drew attention to a new and particularly alarming phenomenon— the Lithuanian-Belarusian border tunnels used for the illegal transport of migrants.

“Such well-equipped tunnels could not have been built without the assistance of Belarusian authorities or, at the very least, their knowledge. This is yet another example showing that the Minsk regime continues to use migration as a means of exerting pressure on the European Union and its member states,” the Minister said.

Budrys stressed that Lithuania will continue to support all efforts to secure the release of Belarusian political prisoners, while maintaining a principled stance on human rights violations, regional security, and the Belarusian regime’s responsibility for hostile actions against neighboring states.