LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 25, 2025
2. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
3. Lithuanian president, other NATO leaders expected to agree on 5 pct defense spending goal
4. Ten-year timeline for NATO's 5 pct defense spending goal 'far too long,' – Lithuanian FM 
5. Middle East truce, if it holds, will deal a blow to 'axis of evil' – Lithuanian president
6. Lithuanian citizens advised against travel to Gulf states amid rising Middle East tensions
7. Israel is in an existential struggle, now's not time for EU to review cooperation – Budrys
8. Northrop Grumman to produce ammunition in Lithuania with Norway's NAMMO - BNS EXCLUSIVE
9. MigDep proposes closing Tajikistan center for Lithuanian residence permits
10. Lithuania continues search for Russian who jumped off train, alerts foreign partners
11. Lithuanian border guards gather info after German's brief entry into Russian airspace
12. Lithuanian president calls for "making NATO great again"
13. Lithuanian defense minister removes military intelligence chief from office - BNS EXCLUSIVE (expands)
14. Lithuanian govt proposes Varvuolis as ambassador to United States
15. Lithuanian Desovietization Commission resigns after politicians' criticism
16. Dismissal of military intelligence chief has to do with employment relations – PM
17. Skvernelis says he was not informed about military intelligence chief's removal
18. Nemunas River research launched in Lithuania to tackle pollution
19. New bill allows Lithuania to impose national sanctions on Russia, Belarus
20. Military intelligence chief dismissed amid review of working atmosphere – minister
21. Lithuanian defmin on Russian who fled train: unlikely such incidents won't happen again
22. President on military intelligence chief's dismissal: not the best way to say goodbye
23. Appointment of military intelligence chief should be decided at higher level – Skvernelis
24. Trump will ensure NATO allies follow through on defense spending pledge – Nauseda
25. Lithuanian FM: broad support for Ukraine's NATO membership in The Hague, despite document
26. Lithuanian defmin says she has candidate for military intelligence chief
27. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, June 26, 2025

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 25, 2025

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 25, 2025:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the NATO Summit in The Hague.

THE CABINET to hold its regular meeting at 11.30 a.m.  

DEFENSE MINISTER Dovile Sakaliene to attend the NATO Summit and sideline events in The Hague.

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian border guards recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally for the third day in a row on Tuesday, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.

Latvia reported 20 illegal border crossing attempts on Tuesday. Poland denied entry to 39 irregular migrants on Monday, according to the latest available information.

Lithuania has barred 872 irregular migrants from entering from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year, after turning away 1,002 in 2024.

The influx of irregular migrants into the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.

 

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Lithuanian president, other NATO leaders expected to agree on 5 pct defense spending goal

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and other NATO leaders are expected to sign off on a pledge in The Hague on Wednesday to raise defense spending from the current 2 percent of GDP to 5 percent over the next decade.

The proposed target would be split into two parts: 3.5 percent of GDP would go toward core military needs and the remaining 1.5 percent would cover defense-related spending, such as protecting critical infrastructure, boosting innovation in the defense sector and strengthening defense industries.

"The declaration is basically agreed. Unless something very unexpected happens, it will be adopted on Wednesday," Asta Skaisgiryte, the president's chief foreign policy advisor, told BNS. "It sets out 5 percent as the defense funding goal for allies to reach by 2035."

"In our view, this is a major step forward. Lithuania and other like-minded countries have said this level of funding would be adequate under the current geopolitical conditions, and now that position is being recognized at the Alliance level," she added.

Lithuania plans to allocate just over 4 percent of GDP to defense this year, and 5.25 percent next year.

Although allies have tentatively agreed on the increase, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said over the weekend that his country would not have to reach the five percent target.

Skaisgiryte said the declaration does not mention any exceptions.

"There are no exceptions for any ally in the document. On the contrary, it states that the Alliance will follow through on this commitment," she said.

Observers say the agreement is likely to reassure President Donald Trump, who has cast doubt over whether the US would defend allies that spend too little on defense.

However, Trump says the US should not be bound by the target, while insisting that its allies must.

"We've been supporting NATO so long. (...) So I don't think we should (raise spending to 5 percent of GDP), but I think that the NATO countries should, absolutely," he said. 

The US currently spends around 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense.

This year's summit in The Hague is expected to be brief, as is the declaration adopted afterward. Still, Skaisgiryte said the document reflects key issues for Lithuania.

"The 5 percent goal is the central point, but the declaration also identifies Russia as a long-term threat and reaffirms that NATO's Article 5 is solid and will be upheld," she said.

Unlike in previous years, the declaration will not mention Ukraine's prospects for NATO membership. However, allies are expected to reaffirm their commitment to supporting Kyiv.

According to BNS diplomatic sources, the declaration is also expected to include the possibility of counting aid to Ukraine as part of defense expenditure.

Lithuania has committed to allocating 0.25 percent of its GDP annually to Ukraine's defense needs.

 

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Ten-year timeline for NATO's 5 pct defense spending goal 'far too long,' – Lithuanian FM 

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – As NATO allies move toward a goal of raising defense spending to 5 percent of GDP over the next decade, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys says the timeline is "far too long."

"Our ambition to do it in five years already seemed too long. Now setting a ten-year timeline is far too long," Lithuania's top diplomat told reporters in The Hague on Tuesday as NATO's two-day summit got underway.

NATO member states agreed on the 5 percent of GDP goal ahead of the summit. However, Spain claims it secured an exemption to spend less. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has insisted that there is no "opt-out" from the agreement.  

Belgium, for its part, has also called for greater flexibility.

Budrys said that there had been challenges in reaching the current 2 percent benchmark, but raising doubts about the new commitment right from the start "is a bad sign."

"Each of us faces different situations at home, different kinds of pressure. (...) I'm not making excuses, just trying to understand why this is happening, but that can't be a reason to avoid commitments to allies," he said.

NATO's push to boost defense spending has come under pressure from the United States. But President Donald Trump has questioned whether the US should be bound by the new target, even though he insists that other allies must.

The US currently spends around 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense.

Lithuania plans to allocate just over 4 percent of GDP to defense this year, and 5.25 percent next year.

 

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Middle East truce, if it holds, will deal a blow to 'axis of evil' – Lithuanian president

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says that if a truce between Israel and Iran holds, it will deal a blow to the so-called axis of evil.

"We see Iran as part of the axis of evil. Alongside Russia and North Korea, Iran is a state that contributes to rising tensions not only in the Middle East but also supports Russia in its war against Ukraine," Nauseda told reporters before departing for the NATO summit in The Hague on Tuesday.

"So if this ceasefire holds, I'd say it will deal a blow to that axis, delay the timeline of Iran's nuclear program, and possibly even prevent it from being implemented," he added.  

As Israel continues its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, tensions in the region escalated further in mid-June when the Jewish state struck Iran, justifying the attack on Tehran's nuclear and military facilities as an attempt to thwart Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran, which continues to insist that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, responded with missile strikes on Israel.

Last weekend, the United States entered the conflict with massive air strikes that Washington said destroyed Tehran's nuclear program, although some officials warned that the extent of the damage was unclear.

On Monday, Iran said it had attacked a US military base in Qatar. According to Qatari officials, the attacks were successfully repelled.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

However, shortly afterward, both Iran and Israel accused each other of violating the truce announced earlier that morning.

"If the ceasefire proves fragile, well, then we'll be facing yet another hotspot," Nauseda told reporters.

"And, of course, the spread of that hotspot will definitely have negative consequences for the war in Ukraine – both by diverting global attention and by sharply pushing up oil prices, which undoubtedly benefit Russia, which rubs its hands every time it sees the price of black gold rising on global markets," he said. 

 

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Lithuanian citizens advised against travel to Gulf states amid rising Middle East tensions

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS –  Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry is advising against travel to countries in the Persian Gulf.

The ministry says renewed military activity in the region is creating risks that could spread throughout the wider region.

It warns that some countries may close their airspace, and therefore recommends that Lithuanian citizens avoid traveling to the Gulf states.

"We advise Lithuanians currently in Bahrain, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia to stay in safe locations, follow local authorities' updates, and comply with safety instructions," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The security situation in the region worsened on June 13, when Israel struck Iran. The Israeli leadership justified the attack on Tehran's nuclear and military facilities, as well as top-ranking military officers, as an effort to thwart the country's attempts to develop nuclear weapons. Israeli strikes also hit residential areas.

Iran, which continues to insist that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, responded with missile strikes on Israel.

Last weekend, the United States entered the conflict with massive air strikes, which Washington said destroyed Tehran's nuclear program, although some officials warned that the extent of the damage was unclear.

On Monday, Iran said it had attacked a US military base in Qatar. According to Qatari officials, the attacks were successfully repelled.

 

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Israel is in an existential struggle, now's not time for EU to review cooperation – Budrys

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS - As Iran and Israel have been shelling each other for more than a week, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys says now is not the right time for the European Union to review its cooperation agreement with Israel.

The EU decided to do so at the end of May because of alleged human rights violations in the Gaza Strip.

Brussels made the move after receiving overwhelming support from 27 member states at a meeting of EU foreign ministers to put pressure on Israel. Lithuania was against it.

"Israel is currently in an existential struggle with Iran, is being hit by ballistic missiles and needs political support to stand its ground. This is not the time to review treaties, to review how we trade. (...) We cannot think of a worse time," Budrys told reporters on Tuesday.

On the other hand, Lithuania's top diplomat admits that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip cannot be ignored.

"The situation is really bad, this is obvious to everyone. There is a shortage of aid, a shortage of food, a shortage of basic necessities, and finally a shortage of water," Budrys said. "Israel has a duty to improve the situation, to let trucks (with aid - BNS) in."

Nevertheless, the EU is struggling to have any influence on the conflict because of long-standing divisions within the bloc between countries that support Israel and those that are seen as more pro-Palestinian.

Tensions in the region were exacerbated when Israel struck Iran in mid-June, justifying its attack on Tehran's nuclear and military facilities and senior military officers as a bid to thwart the country's efforts to build a nuclear weapon. Israeli strikes have also hit residential areas.

Iran, which has so far claimed to be developing its nuclear program for civilian purposes, responded with missile attacks on Israel.

"We are interested, as is the entire international community, in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," Budrys underlined.

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Northrop Grumman to produce ammunition in Lithuania with Norway's NAMMO - BNS EXCLUSIVE

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – US defense giant Northrop Grumman plans to manufacture medium-caliber ammunition at Lithuania's Giraite Armament Factory in partnership with Norway's ammunition producer NAMMO.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene and representatives of the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in The Hague on Tuesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit. The document had previously been signed by Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius.

Deputy Defense Minister Loreta Maskalioviene, who is also currently in The Hague, told BNS that the deal will not only help ensure Lithuania's ammunition supply but also make the country "an important link in international supply chains."

"By strengthening our national defense industry, we are investing not just in technological capabilities but also in Lithuania's resilience to crises," the vice-minister said.

"This is a long-term investment in national and regional security that will yield results not only today but also in the future," she added. 

The new agreement replaces a previous memorandum signed by the Defense and Finance Ministries and Northrop Grumman in late September. 

While earlier plans called for producing 30 mm rounds, the new agreement envisions more flexible production lines capable of manufacturing ammunition ranging from 20 mm to 50 mm.

It is not yet clear when a final contract will be signed. Lithuania plans to continue negotiations with the US and Norwegian companies on the establishment of a new facility.

Sakaliene said in a press release later on Tuesday that the ammunition production would be primarily aimed at meeting the needs of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, ensuring uninterrupted supply.

"This agreement is important for the development of our national division by 2030 and for enhancing the capabilities of the Lithuanian Armed Forces," Sakaliene said. 

"It will increase the country's strategic autonomy in defense and deepen our partnerships with our NATO allies the United States and Norway. The ammunition we plan to produce is critically important for the Lithuanian military, our allies and Ukraine," she added.

Northrop Grumman and NAMMO will provide the Giraite factory with ammunition production technologies, equipment and technical expertise.

As part of the project, the state-owned factory will be integrated into Northrop Grumman's international supply chains, and the US company will be involved in supplying ammunition produced in Lithuania to international markets.

NAMMO will act as a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman.

NAMMO, an international aerospace and defense company headquartered in Norway, is equally owned by the Norwegian government and Finland's Patria. The latter is owned by the Finnish government (50.1 percent) and Norway's Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (49.9 percent).

Medium-caliber ammunition is suitable for the Lithuanian Armed Forces' Vilkas infantry fighting vehicles and for Swedish-made CV90 vehicles that Lithuania plans to procure.
 

  

 

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MigDep proposes closing Tajikistan center for Lithuanian residence permits

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuania's Migration Department has proposed closing an external service center in Tajikistan that accepts applications for temporary residence permits in Lithuania, the public radio LRT reports on Wednesday.

According to the department's data, some 6,250 citizens of this Central Asian country had Lithuanian residence permits in early June. The number of immigrants from Tajikistan has almost quintupled over the past two years.

Evelina Gudzinskaite, head of the Migration Department, told the LRT radio that Tajiks often stay in Lithuania illegally after the expiry of temporary permits.

"If we look at the data on illegal migration, the number of Tajik citizens who do not leave on time in good faith, who have to be obliged to leave, that is, we have to make decisions to return them, is higher in percentage terms than that of, for example, Uzbeks," she said.

According to Gudzinskaite, Tajiks also periodically appear at the Belarusian border with Lithuania and try to enter the country illegally.

There are currently 31 external service providers operating abroad, down from 34 last year, following the closure of such offices in Lebanon, Jordan and Sri Lanka.

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Lithuania continues search for Russian who jumped off train, alerts foreign partners

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian police continue to search for a Russian citizen believed to have jumped off a Kaliningrad transit train last week and have alerted foreign partners about the incident.

"Intensive search efforts are underway. There's quite a lot of information, much of it vague. It takes time to analyze all incoming data and continue a targeted search," Deputy Police Commissioner General Renaldas Zekonis told reporters on Wednesday after a meeting of the parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs.

Zekonis declined to comment on whether the man may have already left the country.

He said, however, that foreign partners have been informed.

"This is a breach of the Schengen Area, so Schengen procedures apply," he said.

Julius Sabatauskas, chairman of the parliamentary committee, said the current procedure for inspecting transit trains is "unsatisfactory."

Danil Mukhametov, a Russian citizen born in 2004, unlawfully left the Adler–Kaliningrad train while it was transiting Lithuania on June 17.

According to police, about 25 minutes before the train was due to reach the Kybartai railway station, an attendant noticed an open train door while the train was moving between Pilviskiai and Kybartai, through which the man may have jumped.

Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic has set up an interinstitutional task force to propose an updated response protocol for handling potential incidents related to the security of the Kaliningrad special transit scheme.

A similar incident was recorded in 2020, when an Uzbek national jumped off a train near Vilnius and died in what was reported as an accident.

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Lithuanian border guards gather info after German's brief entry into Russian airspace

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – A German citizen flying a light aircraft over the Curonian Spit may have briefly entered Russian airspace, Lithuania's State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday, adding that it is clarifying the circumstances and gathering information about the incident.

Preliminary data suggests that the single-engine SR20 aircraft may have crossed into Russia before quickly returning to Lithuanian airspace on Monday.

After the aircraft landed at Nida Airfield, border guards questioned the pilot. A German woman was also aboard the plane.

The pilot said the aircraft had lost its GPS navigation signal during the flight, which may have led to the brief entry into Russian airspace.

The SBGS is considering whether to launch administrative proceedings. The offense carries a fine ranging from 70 to 140 euros.

The service said it is verifying the details of the incident and exchanging information with the Lithuanian Air Force, the Transport Safety Administration and other relevant bodies.

 

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Lithuanian president calls for "making NATO great again"

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda arrived at the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday and called on allies to "make NATO great again" by substantially increasing defense spending.

"I think we should choose the motto "make NATO great again," he told reporters, echoing US President Donald Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again".

Nauseda believes that allies' planned commitment to increase defense funding to 5 percent of GDP should be at the heart of this NATO ambition.

According to the declaration to be adopted, this commitment should be fulfilled by 2035 and would be split into two parts: 3.5 percent of GDP would be allocated strictly to defense, while 1.5 percent of GDP could be earmarked for defense-related expenditure, such as the protection of critical infrastructure, defense innovation, and strengthening industry.

Political observers believe that the consensus to increase defense spending should reassure Trump who has threatened not to defend allies that spend too little on national defense.

Nauseda thanked the US president for his pressure to increase funding for national defense, saying that without Trump's involvement, NATO members would probably be debating the 2.5 percent funding limit, and even those discussions "would probably end in nothing".

"So, sometimes the external pressure, the pressure of our biggest ally is very useful in order to get the point, to understand the heat of the moment and to do our job," the Lithuanian leader said.

NATO must recognize the fact that it is currently lagging behind Russia as the latter manages to produce far more military equipment and ammunition than the whole Alliance, Nauseda pointed out.

Asked to comment on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's statements that a lack of economic competitiveness, not Russia, was the biggest threat to Europe is not Russia, Nauseda said that without military security all other aspects of life become irrelevant.

"If we lose our territorial integrity and independence, why we need this competitiveness? For what?" he asked.

Some allies were alarmed by Trump's pre-summit comment that his commitment under NATO's Article 5 "depends on your definition".

Trump said there were "numerous definitions" of Article 5. "I’m committed to being their friend," he said, asked whether he was committed to to NATO's core obligation to defend any member country attacked.

Nauseda says he's looking forward to talking about a common understanding of Article 5 at the summit, adding that for him the article is very clear.

"Article 5 is very simple: one for all, all for one," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also in The Hague and is scheduled to meet with Trump later in the day.

Unlike in previous years, the NATO summit declaration will not mention Ukraine's prospects of joining the Alliance, but allies are expected to reaffirm their commitment to support Kyiv as it continues to fight against the Russian invasion.

By Saulius Jakučionis

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Lithuanian defense minister removes military intelligence chief from office - BNS EXCLUSIVE (expands)

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene has removed Colonel Elegijus Paulavicius, the outgoing chief of the country's military intelligence, from office.

According to information available to BNS, the head of the Second Investigation Department, has been transferred to the Defense Ministry's temporary reserve of professional military service personnel as of Wednesday.

Paulavicius was removed despite the fact that his term of office is due to expire in mid-August. BNS understands that the reason for his removal was his own request submitted in mid-June to terminate his professional military service contract at the end of his term of office.

Paulavicius was appointed head of military intelligence in August 2020.

He joined the Lithuanian Armed Forces in 1999 ad has served in a variety of positions within the system and has also worked at the NATO Joint Analysis and Lessons Learnt Center in Portugal. 

The Second Investigation Department is one of Lithuania's two intelligence services responsible for ensuring and strengthening Lithuania's national security and defense.

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Lithuanian govt proposes Varvuolis as ambassador to United States

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuania's government on Wednesday proposed Gediminas Varvuolis as Lithuania's new ambassador to the United States.

Varvuolis, who has previously served as Lithuania's ambassador to Belgium and Japan would start working in Washington on August 1.

The Lithuanian government has already approved the recall of the current ambassador, Audra Plepyte, in early June and she will leave the US on July 14.

Plepyte started working in Washington in May 2021.

Prior to her appointment, Lithuania had not had an ambassador to the US since the end of the summer of 2020 as the nomination of ambassadors stalled after the presidential office and the Foreign Ministry had different positions on the matter.

Also on Wednesday, ministers approved the recall of Vaidotas Verba a Lithuania's representatives at the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe as of August 22.

In Lithuania, ambassadors are nominated by the government, approved by the the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs and then appointed by the president.

By Vilmantas Venckūnas

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Lithuanian Desovietization Commission resigns after politicians' criticism

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuania's Desovietization Commission has decided to resign after criticism from politicians in recent weeks, Vitas Karciauskas, its chairman, said on Wednesday.

"Yes, by mutual agreement we decided to cease work," Karciauskas told BNS. "As to how this is going to happen, we'll set up an editorial board to prepare a document that we'll all sign." 

"Since (politicians) have expressed no confidence in us, we can't continue working," he added.

More than 20 Social Democrat MPs have proposed disbanding the Desovietization Commission and handing over decisions on renaming streets and squares or removing monuments to municipalities.

The initiative has received support from Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas and Saulius Skvernelis, the speaker of the parliament. President Gitanas Nauseda has accused the commission of "politicking" and said he "wouldn't shed a tear" if it were disbanded.

Karciauskas said that the resignation also responds "to the legislative amendments and statements from top state officials declaring that we are unnecessary."

"The chairman of the Seimas Committee on Culture (Kestutis Vilkauskas) also said we're working inefficiently. We don't understand how we could be more effective, but if they (the politicians) think so, then let them do the work," he told BNS. 

Critics of the Social Democrats' proposal say it will derail the desovietization process started after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Lithuania's ban on promoting totalitarian and authoritarian regimes and their ideologies came into force in May 2023. The law requires the removal of totalitarian and authoritarian symbols from public spaces.

Questions about whether specific sites violate the law are first reviewed by the Desovietization Commission, which is made up of experts, with final decisions made by the director general of the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania (GRRCL).

Once the manager of the public site, monument or landmark is notified of the director general's decision, they must arrange for its removal, alteration or renaming within three months.

Some decisions have sparked controversy. Klaipeda's city council twice rejected proposals to rename Salomeja Neris and Liudas Gira streets. The Radviliskis district council refused to change the names of Salomeja Neris and Romanas Zabenka streets in Baisogala. Protests have been held in Vilnius over the planned removal of the Neris monument.

 

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Dismissal of military intelligence chief has to do with employment relations – PM

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – The defense minister's decision to remove Colonel Elegijus Paulavicius as the chief of the country's military intelligence from office has to do with employment relations, not national security, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas says.

"More details, as far as it is possible in this situation, should be provided by the defense minister. I am aware of the situation and I think that the minister has made a weighed decision," the prime minister told reporters at the Seimas on Wednesday.

"The situation is in no way related to national security or military intelligence. It has to do with employment relations, the readiness of a person to continue in their position and similar things. (...) judging from the information provided (by the minister - BNS), her decision does not raise any questions for me," he said.

Paulavicius is not subject to any investigation, the prime minister said, refraining to provide any more information because of the protection of personal data.

Approached by BNS, Paulavicius confirmed the fact that he's been transferred to the professional military service reserve since Wednesday under Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene's order, although he had asked in mid-June to be dismissed from the professional military service from August when his term of office expires.

Paulavicius was appointed head of military intelligence in August 2020.

He joined the Lithuanian Armed Forces in 1999 ad has served in a variety of positions within the system and has also worked at the NATO Joint Analysis and Lessons Learnt Center in Portugal. 

The Second Investigation Department is one of Lithuania's two intelligence services responsible for ensuring and strengthening Lithuania's national security and defense.

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Skvernelis says he was not informed about military intelligence chief's removal

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas Saulius Skvernelis says he was not informed about the removal of Colonel Elegijus Paulavicius, the country's military intelligence chief, from office before his term expires.

Ge also criticizes the whole communication, saying that the public should also receive answers to questions about the colonel's dismissal.

"It seems to me that today, regardless of the position, regardless of the opposition, this question must be raised by everyone and the answer must be very clear," Skvernelis told journalists at the Seimas on Wednesday.

"Here we have, it seems to me, the removal of the head of one of the most important institutions, and we have no answer. For what? Maybe he did something? Did he work against the interests of the state? Although it is hard to believe, knowing him and his experience at the Second Investigation Department. We can only speculate here, but this is nonsense," the Seimas speaker added. "What is happening with such posts, we cannot have this type of communicated."

Approached by BNS, Paulavicius confirmed the fact that he's been transferred to the professional military service reserve since Wednesday under Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene's order, although he had asked in mid-June to be dismissed from the professional military service from August when his term of office expires.

Paulavicius says he does not know the reasons for the minister's decision. For his part, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas says they are work-related and not related to national security.

The Defense Ministry is yet to comment on Paulavicius' dismissal as Minister Sakaliene is currently attending the NATO summit in The Hague.

Paulavicius was appointed head of military intelligence in August 2020.

He joined the Lithuanian Armed Forces in 1999 ad has served in a variety of positions within the system and has also worked at the NATO Joint Analysis and Lessons Learnt Center in Portugal. 

The Second Investigation Department is one of Lithuania's two intelligence services responsible for ensuring and strengthening Lithuania's national security and defense.

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Nemunas River research launched in Lithuania to tackle pollution

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Nemunas 2.0, a newly established charity and support fund, said on Wednesday that it has launched water quality research of Lithuania's largest river as part of a broader effort to reduce its pollution. 

According to Kestutis Skrupskelis, an ichthyologist and member of the fund's board, research on the Nemunas got underway earlier this year.

The aim is to carry out systematic monitoring of the Nemunas – the most extensive and comprehensive research ever conducted on the river. Once pollution levels are measured and the most affected areas identified, efforts will be made to curb the pollution.

The research has started in the upper section of the Nemunas in Lithuania, from the point where the river crosses the Belarusian border near Kapciamiestis to the Punia forest. Scientists say it is important to determine the quality of the water flowing in from Belarus and what pollutants it carries.

Researchers will then move downstream to assess the impact of Druskininkai on the river, including how effective the town's wastewater treatment facilities are.

Water quality will also be tested in Merkine, a small town in Alytus County, and in the largely undeveloped section below it, where the river flows through forests and is believed to be least affected by human activity.

The fund says it also plans to examine the impact of the town of Alytus on the river at a later stage.

 

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New bill allows Lithuania to impose national sanctions on Russia, Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – The Lithuanian government will be able to impose national economic sanctions on Russia and Belarus if the European Union fails to extend its measures. 

On Wednesday, the parliament passed the amendments to the Law on Restrictive Measures Due to Military Aggression Against Ukraine with 93 votes in favor, none against and two abstentions.

The amendments were drafted by the Foreign Ministry and backed by the government, although Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has said that if there is no regional agreement on sectoral sanctions, it makes little sense for Lithuania to act alone.

The changes will allow the government to impose two types of sanctions: asset freezes and sectoral restrictions.

Once the legislation takes effect, the government will be able to restrict the export of goods, technologies, services and software that could be used by the Russian or Belarusian military, or to strengthen their defense, security or industrial capabilities.

The government or its authorized institution will designate individuals, legal entities and organizations subject to the restrictive measures, based on criteria set out in the law.

The freezing of funds and economic resources will not apply to individuals already sanctioned under EU measures.

The legislation outlines five criteria for sanctioning individuals – three for restricting exports, and two for imports.

Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, who initiated the amendments, said the need for such legislation became apparent over the winter, when the EU began facing difficulties in extending existing sanctions.

EU sanctions are extended by consensus among member states, but this time there are concerns that Hungary might veto the move. 

If the EU fails to extend its sanctions, Lithuania is weighing two alternative options: Plan B would involve coordinated action among 26 member states, while Plan C would mean introducing national-level sanctions, the minister said.

Vilnius wants not only Lithuania but also other EU members bordering Russia or Belarus to impose measures if the EU sanctions are not extended. This would prevent goods from the two countries from entering the bloc by land and increase trade costs.

Budrys has said that Latvia, Estonia and Poland already have similar legal tools in place and can use them if needed.

The EU has adopted 17 sanctions packages against Russia since February 24, 2022, when Moscow launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions target both specific individuals and key sectors and companies of the Russian economy.

Lithuania has also imposed its own national sanctions on Russian and Belarusian citizens. These include entry restrictions, limits on issuing residence permits, and additional security checks for those arriving from outside the EU. Russian and Belarusian citizens are also prohibited from bringing or taking Ukrainian hryvnias into or out of Lithuania, and the import of agricultural products and feed originating from Russia or Belarus is banned.

Russian citizens without residence permits are also barred from purchasing real estate in Lithuania.
 

 

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Military intelligence chief dismissed amid review of working atmosphere – minister

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuania's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene dismissed Colonel Elegijus Paulavicius, the country's military intelligence chief, amid an ongoing probe into the working atmosphere at the Second Investigation Department.

Approached by BNS, Paulavicius confirmed the fact that he's been transferred to the professional military service reserve since Wednesday under Sakaliene's order, although he had asked in mid-June to be dismissed from the professional military service from August when his term of office expires.

"The transfer to the reserve was carried out in order to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted work of a very important institution carrying out military intelligence and counter-intelligence," the ministry said in its statement to the press.

"The questions regarding smooth work have to do with the internal atmosphere in the organization and we are checking this information. While the investigation is ongoing, in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the institution and to enable them to perform their duties properly, a decision was made to move the head of this institution into the reserve for the last seven weeks before the end of his term of office," it said.

According to the ministry, in the current geopolitical context, the smooth functioning of the intelligence institution is a non-negotiable priority.

"We hope that the director will cooperate with the investigation and keep the interests of the state above personal ambitions," the ministry said.

Sakaliene told reporters in The Hague that the investigation had been launched following complaints from staff, but she refrained to comment on the details of these complaints or what the probe is looking into.

Paulavicius had to be transferred to the reserve because "it would be difficult to expect efficient and smooth operation" mid the ongoing probe, the defense minister pointed out.

She denied that she had any disagreements with the chief of military intelligence and said that she had not informed politicians or the public about her decision due to the specific nature of the SID work.

"Military intelligence is not an institution where we would like to go and tell everybody about any assumptions or any situations that are sensitive enough," the minister said. "Therefore, obviously, the most important goal is to investigate everything calmly, within the institution, to look into the circumstances and to make the best decisions."

Paulavicius says he does not know the reasons for the minister's decision. For his part, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas says they are work-related and not related to national security.

The parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense is holding an extraordinary meeting on the issue on Friday.

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Lithuanian defmin on Russian who fled train: unlikely such incidents won't happen again

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – As Lithuanian police continue searching for a Russian citizen believed to have jumped off a Kaliningrad transit train, Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene says it is unrealistic to expect that such incidents will not happen again.

"It's hard to expect that, under the current circumstances, we won't face such complex or unexpected situations. Russia's level of activity remains very high," she told reporters in The Hague on Wednesday.

Sakaliene emphasized that ensuring transit security requires "a lot of work from our institutions," including close cooperation and coordinated action.

The minister said she did not have the latest updates on the search for the Russian national who disappeared from the train last week but noted that Russia continues to carry out provocative activities.

"Their actions – from intelligence gathering to provocations and sabotage – have been ongoing for some time and are clearly continuing," she said.

Discussions on tightening transit controls began after Danil Mukhametov, a Russian citizen born in 2004, fled the Adler–Kaliningrad train while it was passing through Lithuania under a special transit arrangement.

According to police, about 25 minutes before the train was due to reach the Kybartai railway station, an attendant noticed an open train door through which the man may have jumped.

A similar incident occurred in 2020, when an Uzbek national jumped off a train near Vilnius and died in what was reported as an accident.

Transit between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad through Lithuania is currently regulated by an agreement between the European Union and Russia.

 

By Dominykas Biržietis

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President on military intelligence chief's dismissal: not the best way to say goodbye

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says the dismissal of military intelligence chief Elegijus Paulavicius before the end of his term is "not the best way to say goodbye".

"I think that the psychological climate just heated up a little bit and maybe there was a reaction from both sides. And I don't think this is the best way to say goodbye," Nauseda told reporters in The Hague on Wednesday.

"I think there is certainly a way to say thank you. And I wish Mr Paulavicius every success in any area of his life, if he decides to take another path. I give him my utmost support and hope that he will be able to serve the country in various positions," he added.

Paulavicius has been transferred to the professional military service reserve since Wednesday under Sakaliene's order, although he had asked in mid-June to be dismissed from the professional military service from August when his term of office expires.

Sakaliene told reporters earlier in the day that she made the decision amid an ongoing probe into the working atmosphere at the Second Investigation Department.

Nauseda says he values his constructive relationship with the defense minister and had been informed of her earlier decision to look for another candidate to lead military intelligence when Paulavicius' term of office ends.

"If a person, a candidate, is not proposed for a second term, it does not at all mean that they are doing a bad job. It is just that the minister, and she has that right as a leader, is looking for new priorities, she is looking for ways to perhaps strengthen certain aspects of the service. And this is her right, and we have had many cases where, well, I myself did not propose a person for a second term, but at the same time I thanked him for their good work," the president said. "(...) I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Paulavicius for the years during which he has shown himself to be both an active and a skillful head of this institution."

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Appointment of military intelligence chief should be decided at higher level – Skvernelis

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS - The appointment of Lithuania's new military intelligence chief should be decided at a higher level than it is done right now, Speaker of the Seimas Saulius Skvernelis says.

"If the president and the Seimas are involved in the appointment of the head of the State Security Department, a very important institution, then it is the minister's decision in this case (the appointment of the military intelligence chief – BNS). I think this appointment should be done at a higher level, it's certainly not the defense minister's competence level," the Seimas speaker told reporters at the Seimas on Wednesday adding that this issue should be tackled during this parliament.

Under the existing procedure, the head of th Second Investigation Department, Lithuania's military intelligence, is appointed by the defense minister.

Skvernelis made his remarks in response to Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene's decision to dismiss Colonel Elegijus Paulavicius as head of the country's military intelligence.

Paulavicius has been transferred to the Defense Ministry's temporary professional military service reserve since Wednesday under Sakaliene's order, although he had asked in mid-June to be dismissed from the professional military service from August when his term of office expires.

Paulavicius was appointed head of military intelligence in August 2020.

Sakaliene told reporters earlier in the day that she made the decision amid an ongoing probe into the working atmosphere at the Second Investigation Department.

The Second Investigation Department is one of Lithuania's two intelligence services responsible for ensuring and strengthening Lithuania's national security and defense.

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Trump will ensure NATO allies follow through on defense spending pledge – Nauseda

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – US President Donald Trump's leadership will ensure that NATO allies follow through on their pledge to significantly boost defense spending, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Wednesday. 

"There's one factor, and it comes down to two words: Donald Trump. Today at the table, I heard a great deal of praise for his leadership, and I believe that (...) if not for President Trump, we wouldn't even be talking about 5 percent today. And we certainly couldn't expect such a level of defense spending to be set," Nauseda told reporters in The Hague.

NATO leaders agreed to raise defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, with 1.5 percent of GDP going toward indirect costs related to national defense.

Nauseda said Trump has remained consistent in pressuring allies during his second term as US president.

"Is there a country today that would want to openly oppose the 5 percent goal, which is President Trump's demand? I don't think any of them would, whether openly or covertly," the Lithuanian president said.

“And that's probably the reliable guarantee that will help us move forward," he added.

According to Nauseda, raising defense spending to 5 percent of GDP would be not just a quantitative but also a qualitative leap in building up allied armed forces, which is especially important in the face of Russia's confrontation with NATO and continued aggression in Ukraine.

He also said that, in Lithuania's view, the 2035 target date is too far off, but “politics is the art of compromise."

The Lithuanian president also welcomed the fact that the NATO summit declaration retained a commitment to support Ukraine.

"Allies reaffirm their enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours, and, to this end, will include direct contributions towards Ukraine's defense and its defense industry when calculating Allies' defense spending," the document reads. 

 

By Saulius Jakučionis

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Lithuanian FM: broad support for Ukraine's NATO membership in The Hague, despite document

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys says he heard broad support in The Hague for Ukraine's NATO membership, despite the fact that the country's membership prospect was not mentioned in the summit's final declaration.

"We have had and will be opportunities to capture and bring that optimism home because (...) the absolute majority of countries are not only supporting Ukraine through their actions and concrete support, but they also support Ukraine's NATO membership," Budrys told BNS by phone from The Hague. "So in the longer term, we see this as a feasible thing."

He also said, however, that talks on Ukraine mostly focused on the need to ensure a ceasefire in the country's conflict with Russia and eventually peace.

"Without peace, we will not jump on the issue of NATO membership”," Lithuania's top diplomat said.

The NATO summit declaration on Wednesday reaffirmed allies' "enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours, and, to this end, will include direct contributions towards Ukraine's defense and its defense industry when calculating Allies' defense spending", but it did not mention Ukraine's membership, despite the fact that the outcome documents of previous summits have mentioned that Ukraine will eventually become part of the bloc.

Budrys urged people not to compare this declaration with previous ones.

"I would look, however, at what has been included and mentioned in the declaration, which is five points, half a page, and not at what is missing compared to last year," the minister said. "This year, what we have at this summit is that Ukraine was mentioned and also the importance of the Ukrainian struggle for our security. (...) The fact that we did have the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting, (...) we did have very good-quality and good talks. The fact that we have President (Volodymyr - BNS) Zelensky here is an achievement."

He urged people to compare today's situation not with what was a year or two ago, but with the mood with which allies observed the first actions of US President Donald Trump before and after his inauguration.

"We had a great deal of apprehension, and we remember it ourselves, that maybe the (Hague - BNS) summit would not happen at all, whether the US (president - BNS) would come or not, whether Article 5 would remain in force," Lithuania's top diplomat said.

"So today, what I heard from President Trump during the leaders' meeting, is that the US commitment is working, that the US needs a strong alliance, that it wants all of us to do our part - and that's the way it should be," Budrys said.

As BNS reported earlier, NATO leaders agreed to raise defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, with 1.5 percent of GDP going toward indirect costs related to national defense.

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Lithuanian defmin says she has candidate for military intelligence chief

VILNIUS, Jun 25, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene says she has already found a candidate to lead the country's military intelligence service, the Second Investigation Department.

Already known to President Gitanas Nauseda, the person will replace Colonel Elegijus Paulavicius who was dismissed on Wednesday.

Sakaliene says that Paulavicius will be temporarily replaced by his first deputy Petras Zaptorius until the end of Paulavicius' term.

Paulavicius was transferred to the professional military service reserve on Wednesday, despite having submitted a request in mid-June to be dismissed from professional military service in August when his term of office expires.

"A new head can only be appointed after the end of the incumbent head's term of office, and this is what we plan to do. Yes, the nomination has been agreed with the president," Sakaliene told BNS when asked when she planned to appoint the new SID head and whether she already had a candidate.

The SID director is appointed by the defense minister's order.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sakaliene told reporters that she made the decision to dismiss Paulavicius due to an ongoing internal probe into the working environment at the department. According to her, this investigation was also launched on Wednesday.

The defense minister said that she had informed the president, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, as his immediate superior, and Chief of Defense General Raimundas Vaiksnoras about her decision to transfer Paulavicius to the reserve.

Paulavicius was appointed head of military intelligence in August 2020.

The Second Investigation Department is one of Lithuania's two intelligence services responsible for ensuring and strengthening Lithuania's national security and defense.

By Saulius Jakučionis

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, June 26, 2025

VILNIUS, Jun 26, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, June 26, 2025:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend a European Council meeting in Brussels.

 

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LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Monday, June 23, 2025
2. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
3. Lithuanian foreign minister in Brussels for EU talks on Middle East, Ukraine
4. Lithuanian formin to call for applying US 'peace through strength' approach in Ukraine
5. Kellogg's deputy thanks Lithuania for cooperation in prisoners' release in Belarus
6. Lithuanian FM says no easing of sanctions on Belarus until all political prisoners freed
7. Lithuania expected release of several Belarus-held citizens – foreign minister 
8. Tsikhanouskaya remains Belarusian opposition leader – her freed husband
9. Baltic States, Poland call for EU’s focused attention to protection of EU's eastern border
10. Stricter sanctions needed or West will struggle with ultimatums to Russia – Lithuanian FM
11. EU Commission approves Lithuania’s request to reallocate EUR 154 mln in RRF funds
12. Ex-Lithuanian FM Landsbergis to receive Global Economy Prize
13. Lithuania proposes 6-point plan to EU on how to deal with Georgia – FM 
14. Lithuania’s Supreme Court to examine Gorbachev's responsibility for January 13 events
15. Nobel laureates urge Lithuania, others to reconsider exit from mine ban treaty 
16. Lithuania's Special Investigation Service rules out separate probe into loan to PM’s co
17. NATO's 5 pct defense spending deal gives no exceptions to any ally – Lithuanian FM  
18. Lithuanian defmin says NATO declaration includes no exemptions on defense spending
19. Iran-Russia dialogue increases need to deepen transatlantic positions – Lithuanian FM
20. MP proposes recognizing 1941 independence declaration as legal act of Lithuanian state
21. Lithuania to work out new security measures for Russian passengers’ transit by train
22. Twenty-six species, including 4 relevant to Lithuania, added to EU's invasive species list
23. NATO jets in Baltics scrambled seven times over Russian aircraft last week
24. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 25, 2025
25. Vilnius University moves down in global ranking, but outperforms other Lithuanian schools

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Monday, June 23, 2025

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Monday, June 23, 2025:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to give an interview to Deutsche Welle at 2.30 p.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Kestutis Budrys to take part in the Foreign Affairs Council session in Brussels, Belgium.

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally in the past 24 hours, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Monday morning.

Latvia reported 29 illegal border crossing attempts on Sunday. Poland denied entry to 107 irregular migrants on Saturday, according to the latest available information.

Lithuania has barred 872 irregular migrants from entering from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year, after turning away 1,002 in 2024.

The influx of irregular migrants into the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.

 

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Lithuanian foreign minister in Brussels for EU talks on Middle East, Ukraine

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys is visiting Brussels on Monday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Russia's war against Ukraine with his EU counterparts.

According to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, the main focus of the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) will be on Iran and the situation in the Middle East after the United States struck Tehran's nuclear facilities over the weekend.

Budrys said on the eve of the meeting that he would call for applying the US doctrine of "peace through strength" in Ukraine, noting that it had "produced results in Iran."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has also been invited to the meeting. Last week, he said that Russia had been rejecting, for more than three months, a proposal from Washington and Kyiv to halt the fighting without preconditions

EU foreign ministers will also discuss the crisis in the Gaza Strip. Some human rights groups accuse Israel of committing genocide in the territory, where war has raged for more than a year and a half following the Islamist group Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023.

The agenda also includes EU policy toward Syria and Libya, a discussion on China and European security, and a review of current affairs, focusing on Georgia.

 

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Lithuanian formin to call for applying US 'peace through strength' approach in Ukraine

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Following US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said he will urge his European counterparts in Brussels on Monday to apply the US "peace through strength" approach to Ukraine as well.

"One point I'll be stressing tomorrow morning at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels – where the meeting will begin with the Iran issue – is that the American formula of peace through strength is clearly delivering results in Iran, and I would very much like to see it applied in Ukraine too," Budrys said in a special LRT news broadcast on Sunday.

"Because we see that other formulas haven't yielded results there so far," he added.

The minister noted, however, that the nature of the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine differs.

"What we're hearing from both Israel and the United States is that this isn't the kind of war Russia launched against Ukraine, where the goal is to occupy a country or seize part of its territory. The focus here is on Iran's nuclear program and its repeated threats to wipe Israel off the map," he said.

Budrys will be in Brussels on Monday for a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, where ministers will discuss the situation in the Middle East and Russia's war on Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has also been invited to the meeting.

 

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Kellogg's deputy thanks Lithuania for cooperation in prisoners' release in Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Following the release of 14 political prisoners in Belarus, including opposition leader Syarhei Tsikhanouski, US special envoy Keith Kellogg's deputy has thanked Lithuania for its cooperation.

"President Trump's strong leadership led to the release of 14 prisoners from Belarus today. Thanks to the Lithuanian government for its cooperation and assistance – they remain a true friend and ally," John Coale posted on the X social media platform on Saturday.

Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said ealier on Saturday that the released prisoners were now in Lithuania and receiving care.

Lithuania's top diplomat emphasized the key role played by the United States in securing the prisoners' release and called for continued efforts to free more than a thousand other political detainees in Belarus, whom he described as "hostages."

Coale said that the mission to free the prisoners was "encouraged" by US President Donald Trump, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, and "many others in the administration."

"The United States is now strong, so we can get these kind of things done. I had started a relationship with Lukashenko and we brought back the last American held there about six weeks ago," Kellogg's deputy said in a video posted on X, which shows him speaking at the US Embassy in Vilnius.

"This time we went back and we got 14 people from different countries that are now free," he added.

The deputy also shared his impressions from meeting the freed prisoners.

"And the moment that I remember is when the van pulled up with the 14 to a back road we were meeting them on. I opened the door and they all had their heads down like this and they didn't know what was going on," he said.

"I opened the door and they all had their heads down like this and they didn't know what was going on. I said, you're free, you're free. And some of them spoke English, got the message, told the other and everything changed. Cause they had no idea where they were going. They could have been going to a terrible plane or whatever."

Tsikhanouski was released just hours after Belarusian authorities announced that the country's authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, had met with Kellogg in Minsk.

Tsikhanouski, 46, had spent more than five years in prison.

He had planned to run against Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election, but was arrested and detained weeks before the vote. His wife, Sviatlana, then a political novice, ran in his place.

Tsikhanouski was sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison for "organizing riots" and "inciting hatred", then to another 18 months for "insubordination".

Belarus, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all opposition movements and remains the only European country that retains the death penalty.

According to the Belarusian human rights group Viasna, the country still holds more than 1,000 political prisoners in its jails.

 

 

By Dominykas Biržietis

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Lithuanian FM says no easing of sanctions on Belarus until all political prisoners freed

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – After Belarus released several political prisoners over the weekend, including Syarhei Tsikhanouski, the husband of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said this does not give grounds for considering easing sanctions against the Minsk regime.

"Lithuania is part of the European Union sanctions regime and has also imposed its own measures. As of today, I see no grounds to review anything," Budrys told reporters on Sunday.

He noted that some of the national and EU sanctions were tied to human rights and the state of democracy in Belarus, as well as Minsk's support for Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

"Given the reasons why they were imposed, it's not about one prisoner release, or two, or three. We've already had a series of releases, but all political prisoners must be freed, no new prisoners should be jailed, and only then can we talk about anything," the foreign minister said. 

"That is the direction (Alexander) Lukashenko must take before we can consider reviewing the sanctions policy," he added.

Budrys' comment came after 14 political prisoners were released in Belarus on Saturday and brought to Lithuania. The freed prisoners emphasized the role of US President Donald Trump and his administration in securing their release.

 

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Lithuania expected release of several Belarus-held citizens – foreign minister 

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said on Sunday that Lithuania had hoped recent US efforts would lead to the release of several Lithuanians and residents with Lithuanian permits held in Belarus, but this did not happen.

"Yes, we had our expectations, yes, we wanted to resolve the issue and still want to, concerning the fate of several of our citizens there (in Belarus), as well as individuals with residence permits in Lithuania who got into trouble there, but this time it did not happen. We leave that work for the future," Budrys told reporters.

"Many efforts are ongoing behind the scenes, and we dedicate considerable attention to making life easier for those there and helping them return home as soon as possible," he added.

The minister said that some people are serving prison sentences in Belarus as extremists for posting content on social media while living in Lithuania.

His comment came after 14 political prisoners were released in Belarus on Saturday and brought to Lithuania: five Belarusians, including opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's husband Syarhei, as well as citizens of Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Japan, Sweden and the US.

 

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Tsikhanouskaya remains Belarusian opposition leader – her freed husband

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will continue to lead the Belarusian opposition, her husband Syarhei Tsikhanouski said after his recent release from prison.

"Sviatlana remains the opposition leader. I don't believe someone coming out of five years in isolation can suddenly become can suddenly become a leader out of nowhere," Tsikhanouski told reporters through a translator at a press conference in Vilnius on Sunday.

"We have 1,100 other leaders like this who are still in prison," he added.

Tsikhanouski and 13 other political prisoners were released on Saturday, just hours after Belarusian authorities announced that the country's authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, had met with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk.

When asked by journalists whether the opposition plans to continue its activities in exile and whether he intends to return home, Tsikhanouski said he hopes to return but did not specify when.

"Of course, I hope to return to Belarus one day. But right now, I feel like I'm in a parallel universe – I spent five years in solitary confinement, completely alone," the 46-year-old said.

"Over the last three years, I received almost no information – just fragments. Now I feel a bit like I'm in the movie 'Back to the Future' and have to piece together a lot of information to understand what's going on and to orient myself in this reality," he added.

'Never a pro-Russian politician'

When asked by Lithuanian journalists about his visit to Russian-occupied Crimea in 2017 and whether he is pro-Russian, Tsikhanouski denied supporting Russia.

He said he visited Crimea for a day or two "some years ago" at a friend's invitation, describing it as a "pilgrimage" to visit holy sites.

"I was never a pro-Russian politician. I've always been a Belarusian politician. They were shouting that there was some kind of Russian passport – I have never had a Russian passport."

Tsikhanouski said he had two offices – one in Belarus, one in Moscow – and one in Kyiv, and had a company in Lithuania that never operated because he had just bought it.

"At the time, I was working in Russia and once went on a trip somewhere – I didn't consider it 'ours' or 'yours'," the man said, referring to Crimea. "I wasn't involved in politics then; I wasn't a blogger – I was just an ordinary Belarusian." 

"Crimea is Ukrainian territory. And I don't support any of Russia's claims to certain territories of Ukraine. I fully support Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. I absolutely admire him; he's a hero to me," he said.

Tsikhanouski said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime is a common enemy of both Ukrainians and Belarusians.

"Putin's regime – until it falls, there can be no victory in Belarus," he said. "Putin calls black white just because it suited him in 2020."

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys on Sunday dismissed suggestions that Tsikhanouski is pro-Russian, noting that he is a symbol of the Belarusian opposition and was imprisoned for political reasons.

"I think this is where we should stop when assessing the situation. Five years in a Belarusian prison – look at how a person looks after that. For me, it's also a duty to bring all Lithuanian citizens home," the minister said.

Tsikhanouski had spent more than five years in prison.

He had planned to run against Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election, but was arrested and detained weeks before the vote. His wife, Sviatlana, then a political novice, ran in his place.

Tsikhanouski was sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison for "organizing riots" and "inciting hatred", then to another 18 months for "insubordination".

Belarus, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all opposition movements and remains the only European country that retains the death penalty.

According to the Belarusian human rights group Viasna, the country still holds more than 1,000 political prisoners in its jails.

 

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Baltic States, Poland call for EU’s focused attention to protection of EU's eastern border

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The Baltic countries and Poland have called the European Union’s (EU) institutions to support projects aimed at protecting the Community's eastern border.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, together with the prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Poland, sent a letter to the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, calling for focused attention to joint EU security initiatives along the bloc’s eastern border, the presidential office said in a press release on Friday.

“The letter underscores that Russia’s war against Ukraine and the deepening security crisis in Europe require a coordinated and determined response. Russia is testing Europe’s resilience – particularly along the eastern borders of EU member states – through acts of sabotage, destabilization, and the instrumentalization of migrants,” the presidential office said.

The letter highlights two strategic initiatives – the Baltic Defense Line and the Eastern Shield – which aim to bolster deterrence capabilities along the EU’s and NATO’s eastern flank by implementing layered defensive measures. Coordination of these initiatives among the four countries is already underway.

According to the letter, the countries’ leaders call on European institutions to recognize these initiatives as projects of common European interest and to consider providing both financial and political support through all available EU instruments.

Nauseda and the prime ministers of Latvia, Estonia and Poland also stress that their countries have made defense a clear priority, with an ambition to allocate no less than 5 percent of GDP to defense. The countries are also actively cooperating to strengthen border security and to build a robust first line of defense for the entire Union.

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Stricter sanctions needed or West will struggle with ultimatums to Russia – Lithuanian FM

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The European Union must adopt tougher sanctions against Russia or the West will have "no chance for credible ultimatums" to the Kremlin regarding a ceasefire and peace negotiations in the future, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said in Brussels on Monday ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council's meeting.

"If we don't do it right now, there'll be no chance for credible ultimatums in the future, and it would mean we missed the great opportunity to achieve a ceasefire and then proceed with peace talks. Because now is the time to do it," he told reporters in the Belgian capital.

Budrys noted that it has been 104 days since Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire and 44 days since Western leaders gave Russian President Vladimir Putin an ultimatum to accept it or face tougher sanctions.

"As of today, we don't have a result. So now we have to move forward and agree on the 18th package with energy, with additional (shadow) vessels included, and also with Nord Stream 1 and 2," he said.

Speaking about sanctions against Belarus, the minister cautioned against interpreting the weekend release of 14 political prisoners as "a real intent to change the situation." 

Over 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, and in the past six months, the regime in Minsk has jailed more people for political reasons than it has released, he said.

"We see no reason to lift sanctions on Belarus. On the contrary, we have to align them with those imposed on Russia," Budrys said.

"So we see no grounds and no reasons now to lift the sanctions on Belarus. On the contrary, we have to synchronize them with the ones applied to Russia," Budrys said.

Among those released in Belarus on Saturday was Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a leading opposition figure. His wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in Lithuania and stepped in as opposition leader following his imprisonment, said the United States helped secure his release and thanked US President Donald Trump.

Tsikhanouski, 46, had spent more than five years in prison.

Monday's meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) is expected to focus on Iran and the situation in the Middle East following US strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities over the weekend.

Israel launched airstrikes on Iran more than a week ago, saying that its archenemy was close to developing a nuclear weapon.

On the eve of the FAC meeting, Budrys said he would call for applying the US approach of "peace through strength" to Ukraine as well, since it is "producing results in Iran."

 

By Vilmantas Venckūnas

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EU Commission approves Lithuania’s request to reallocate EUR 154 mln in RRF funds

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The European Commission has approved Lithuania's request to reallocate nearly 154 million euros from the European Union (EU) Recovery and Resilience Facility’s (RRF) funds allocated to the country, the Finance Ministry reported on Friday.

“These changes will allow for better management of risks to the implementation of the NGL (New Generation Lithuania) plan and for ensuring that the responsible ministries are able to implement the planned investments and reforms in time by the end of the eligibility period of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in August 2026,” the ministry said in a press release.

According to the ministry, the need to modify the NGL plan arose due to insufficient demand for certain measures, changed alternatives to implementing measures, increased costs, and other circumstances that have made it impossible to fulfill the planned milestones on time or in full.

Early in May, the government updated the reallocation of 74 million euros from the RRF plan for Lithuania, which was approved by the previous Cabinet in November last year.

Some 38.55 million euros was then requested for energy storage facilities, 74.68 million euros for bicycle and pedestrian paths, 38.58 million euros for railway electrification, and another 2 million euros for the purchase of forest land for environmental protection.

These funds had previously been earmarked for the purchase of low-emission vehicles, electric vehicle charging stations and alternative fuel stations, as well as for the expansion of greenhouse gas absorption capacity.

The Finance Ministry then also proposed modifying 70 RRF milestones, four of which were proposed to be abolished, and refining three reform milestones relating to the implementation of the reform of interurban transport, amendments to the legislation on minimum income protection and amendments to the Law on Unemployment Social Insurance.

A total of 3.849 billion euros is earmarked from the RRF for Lithuania to implement the NGL plan, and the funds are paid to Lithuania by the European Commission not for project expenses incurred, but in accordance with the milestones committed to be achieved. The plan consists of a total of 218 milestones covering two main areas: the implementation of reforms and investment projects.

According to the Finance Ministry, by June 1, 100 milestones have been achieved, NGL invitations to apply for 3.838 billion euros (99.7 percent of the allocated funds) have been announced, contracts worth 3.578 billion euros (93 percent of the allocated funds) have been signed, and 1.285 billion euros (33 percent of the allocated funds) has been paid out.

The updated NGL plan also allows for the submission of further payment requests to the European Commission for the results achieved.

Lithuania has so far submitted three payment requests to the European Commission. 

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Ex-Lithuanian FM Landsbergis to receive Global Economy Prize

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis will receive the prestigious Global Economy Prize in Germany on Monday.

According to the jury of the Global Economy Prize, Landsbergis “is an extremely far-sighted foreign policy strategist… and, as Foreign Minister of Lithuania, he was an early advocate of responding proactively to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with a policy of deterrence and of taking all measures necessary to help Ukraine achieve victory”.

The jury also said that Landsbergis is “an outstanding analyst of geopolitical issues and, thanks to his foresight and determined analysis, he quickly helped Lithuania to become a highly respected voice in NATO”.

The annual Global Economy Prize is presented by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy to influential political, scientific and business personalities in recognition of their outstanding contribution to sustainable wellbeing, combining economic efficiency with social justice and environmental sustainability, and promoting dialogue between politicians, scientists and business people.

This year's motto is “Courage for Change”, and the award aims to highlight the global economy's challenges across national borders.

Former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite was awarded the Global Economy Prize back in 2022.

The Global Economy Prize has been awarded annually since 2005. The list of its winners includes Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Goran Persson, former prime minister of Sweden, Robert Shiller, American economist, Nobel prizewinner, and best-selling author, Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, and Mario Monti¸ former prime minister of Italy.

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Lithuania proposes 6-point plan to EU on how to deal with Georgia – FM 

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Lithuania has put forward a six-point plan to the European Union (EU) on how to deal with Georgia, whose government actions the West views as violations of human rights and democratic principles.

"We are proposing six points on how to proceed with Georgia, as the humanitarian situation is deteriorating in Georgia, and this is the right time now to do it," Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told reporters in Brussels ahead of Monday's meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). 

"We have already circulated our suggestions and our proposals, and I will discuss them with my colleagues first. From additional support to civil society to revision of the visa regime that we have with Georgia," he said. 

Lithuania's top diplomat did not provide journalists with any further details of the plan.

Georgia has been in political turmoil since the disputed parliamentary elections in October, which sparked mass protests.

Protesters accuse the government of drifting toward authoritarianism and drawing the country closer to Russia's sphere of influence, but the ruling Georgian Dream party denies this.

Tensions escalated in November when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia was suspending EU membership talks until 2028.

Because of Georgia's shift in political direction, Lithuania reinstated the visa regime for Georgian diplomats this spring.

The EU Council granted member states the right to review the visa regime with Tbilisi after suspending part of the visa-free agreement with Georgia.

However, Georgians holding ordinary passports traveling on short trips to EU countries continue to enjoy visa-free travel.

The visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Georgia has been in effect since March 2011. 

Kobakhidze said in late May that Lithuania's Foreign Ministry does not really exist and is just a typical "deep state" agency.

The prime minister made these remarks after Budrys' interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The Lithuanian foreign minister, asked about Georgia, said the EU has repeatedly missed chances to send a stronger message to the South Caucasus country's leadership about the path it has chosen.

According to Budrys, Lithuania's position is that the best way out of the current situation is to hold new parliamentary elections and repeal all laws restricting the political opposition and NGOs.

Kobakhidze is banned from entering Lithuania, as he is among more than 100 politicians sanctioned by the Baltic states for "severe and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as repression against the people of Georgia."

By Vilmantas Venckūnas

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Lithuania’s Supreme Court to examine Gorbachev's responsibility for January 13 events

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The Supreme Court of Lithuania will examine the responsibility of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for the January 13 events, the 15min news portal reported on Monday.

According to the portal, the relatives of people who died in the Soviet army's crackdown on unarmed civilians in Vilnius in January 1991 are seeking to have Gorbachev, who died in 2022, recognized as responsible for failing to take steps to prevent crimes committed by the army when he, as commander-in-chief of the Soviet Armed Forces, had control of the military on January 11-13, 1991.

They also want the former Soviet leader’s successors to be held liable for compensation for non-pecuniary damage if he were proven guilty of murders.

Previously, the lawsuits seeking compensation for non-pecuniary damage were dismissed by the Vilnius District Court and the Vilnius Regional Court.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has decided that the case should be reopened and referred to an expanded panel of seven judges of the Civil Division.

According to the 15min portal, this decision was based on the fact that the practice related to the inheritance of obligations to compensate for non-pecuniary damage is not well established in Lithuanian courts.

Gorbachev had a daughter and two granddaughters.

The Soviet Union used military force in its attempt to remove the legitimate government of Lithuania which declared independence on March 11, 1990.

Fourteen civilians were killed and hundreds more were injured when the Soviet troops stormed the TV Tower and the Radio and Television Committee building in Vilnius in the early hours of January 13, 1991.

Prosecutors investigating the January 13 case refused to examine Gorbachev's responsibility for the events of January 13 or to question him.

In 2017, Vilnius Regional Court sent a summons to Gorbachev to question him as a special witness in the mass trial, but Russia refused to serve it.

A total of 67 former Soviet officials and military officers, including former Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov, who died in 2020, have been convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the January 13 case.

The majority of them were handed prison sentences in absentia as Russia and Belarus refused to extradite them.

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Nobel laureates urge Lithuania, others to reconsider exit from mine ban treaty 

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – A hundred Nobel Prize laureates have urged Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania and Finland to reconsider their decision to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel landmines.

In a joint statement released last week, the laureates warned that pulling out of the treaty could endanger civilians and weaken long-established legal and humanitarian norms.

"These deadly weapons have effects that are far more harmful than any war benefit," they said.  

The laureates noted that the 1997 Ottawa Convention "has made a significant and positive difference in reducing the casualties and suffering caused by anti-personnel mines."

"Yet the actions of two countries that have not prohibited these weapons—Russia and the United States – are undermining these norms and putting civilians at risk," they said.   

The joint statement, shared by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), was signed by 19 Nobel Peace Prize winners, 26 laureates in medicine, 24 in physics, 21 in chemistry, and five each in economics and literature.

These include the Dalai Lama, American landmine campaigner Jody Williams, Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and writers John M. Coetzee, Patrick Modiano and Orhan Pamuk, as well as former Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov and former Polish president Lech Walesa.

The statement was drafted by Williams, who was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize alongside the ICBL for her work to ban and eliminate anti-personnel mines.

In March, the defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland issued a joint statement calling on their countries to exit the Ottawa Convention. They were later joined by Finland.

Leaving the treaty would allow them to acquire, produce, stockpile, use and transfer anti-personnel mines.

All five countries have already launched the necessary procedures to leave the convention. The Lithuanian parliament gave its final approval in May.

Earlier this year, Lithuania formally exited the international convention banning the acquisition, use and production of cluster munitions.

"We deeply regret Lithuania's withdrawal from the Convention on Cluster Munitions in March," the Nobel laureates said in their statement.

A country's withdrawal from the convention takes effect six months after it submits its formal notice to the United Nations secretary-general.

In a statement released on June 16, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "gravely concerned by recent announcements and steps taken by several member states to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention." 

"These announcements are particularly troubling, as it risks weakening civilian protection and undermining two decades of a normative framework that has saved countless lives," he said. 

The UN chief added that he intends to launch "a global campaign to uphold the norms of humanitarian disarmament, accelerate mine action as an enabler of human rights and sustainable development, and drive forward the vision of a mine-free world."  

All European Union member states had signed the convention, while India, the United States, China, Pakistan and Russia have not joined it.

 

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Lithuania's Special Investigation Service rules out separate probe into loan to PM’s co

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Lithuania's Special Investigation Service (SIS) will not launch a separate investigation into a soft loan received by Garnis, a company co-owned by Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, from the national development bank ILTE when he was already in office.

“Based on a decision by the European Prosecutor, an SIS officer has now been included in a pre-trial investigation being conducted by the FCIS (Financial Crime Investigation Service). The FCIS has launched a pre-trial investigation into the soft loan received from the national development bank ILTE. The European Prosecutor has decided to include an SIS officer in this investigation,” SIS spokeswoman Dovile Andrijauskaite told the LRT radio on Monday

Earlier this month, the FCIS launched a pre-trial investigation into the loan received by Garnis. The service then said that the probe concerned possible credit fraud.

"At this stage of the pre-trial investigation, no formal suspicions have been brought against anyone. The pre-trial investigation is being led and supervised by the European Public Prosecutor's Office," the FCIS said at the time.

Moreover, the Chief Official Ethics Commission is investigating whether Paluckas confused public and private interests when the prime minister made decisions related to ILTE after Garnis received a soft 200,000-euro loan from the national development bank.

In addition, Garnis is also under scrutiny by the State Tax Inspectorate.

Meanwhile, ILTE claimed that the loan to Garnis followed the required procedures and that its internal review had not found any significant shortcomings.

The investigative journalism center Siena (Wall) and Laisves TV reported in late May that Garnis, which plans to produce battery systems, received a 200,000-euro soft loan from ILTE after Paluckas had already taken office. 

The prime minister owns 49 percent of Garnis. In February and March, the government made several decisions related to ILTE with his participation.   

Paluckas also owns 51 percent of another company, Emus, which would not have qualified for a loan from ILTE because it has been operating for too long. Garnis would not have been eligible either if it had been formally part of the same company group as Emus.

Questions have also been raised publicly about whether Garnis was created as a front to obtain the loan and whether the company is using the funds as intended. 

The prime minister denies any conflict of interest and says he is not involved in his companies' day-to-day operations.

By Vilmantas Venckūnas

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NATO's 5 pct defense spending deal gives no exceptions to any ally – Lithuanian FM  

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – As Spain claims it will not be required to raise defense spending to five percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said on Monday that NATO's deal, set to be unveiled at this week's summit in The Hague, includes no exceptions for any allies.

"The NATO decision is ready and there are no exemptions for any single state or group of states. The principles of what defense spending means and what it's linked to are set out," Budrys said in a video comment from Brussels.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said over the weekend that he had secured a deal allowing Spain to "meet its commitments to the Atlantic Alliance without increasing defense spending to five percent of GDP."

"There is no separate (arrangement for any) state, even if someone wants to read something into it," the Lithuanian foreign minister said.

Under the deal greenlit by NATO's 32 nations on Sunday, allies promise to reach 3.5 percent of GDP on core military needs over the next decade and spend another 1.5 percent on "defense-related" expenditures such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Budrys said the increased spending is tied to Russia's aggressive policies, the threats it poses, and NATO's goal of building the capabilities needed to maintain credible deterrence and defense.

Multiple diplomats at NATO said that all 32 members signed off on the agreement and that no special exception was granted to Spain.

One diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that allies always "have the sovereign right to determine how they'll deliver on their commitments." 

The pledge to boost defense spending is expected to reassure US President Donald Trump, who has threatened not to defend allies that spend too little on their own militaries, and help NATO build up the forces it needs to deter Russia.

In 2024, Spain allocated the smallest share of GDP to defense among all NATO members, drawing sharp criticism from Trump.

 

By Dominykas Biržietis

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Lithuanian defmin says NATO declaration includes no exemptions on defense spending

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene said on Monday that she sees no exemptions for any country in the NATO summit declaration when it comes to increased defense funding.

"I don't see any exemptions in the text," Sakaliene told reporters at Vilnius Airport.

Her comments followed reports that NATO allies had agreed to raise defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP), with an exception for Spain, which does not plan to increase its security budget quickly.

Several diplomats said Sunday that under the deal, expected to be announced at the NATO summit in The Hague, allies pledge to allocate 3.5 percent of GDP to core military needs and an additional 1.5 percent to broader security-related expenses over the next decade.

"It looks like there'll be agreement (on five percent of GDP for defense), but I'd prefer to wait until everything has actually happened and then confirm the outcome," Sakaliene said.

"It's critically important that the NATO alliance sends a single, unified strategic message that significant and rapid defense spending is seen as a priority," she added.

However, the minister said NATO members differ on the timeline for reaching that spending level.

"Lithuania believes 2030 is the latest deadline to achieve this. Other countries have different views, but we'll continue to firmly state our arguments," she said.

Diplomats said all 32 NATO members approved the spending deal and that no exemptions were granted to Spain. However, minutes after those statements, Spain itself disputed the claim.

Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said a NATO target of five percent of GDP for defense would be unrealistic for Spain. He said each member must invest different amounts to meet their military goals, with Spain's military calculating that 2.1 percent would be sufficient.

On Sunday, Sanchez confirmed Spain had reached an agreement with NATO under which it would not be required to meet the five percent threshold.

The NATO summit in The Hague, where the agreement is expected to be formally adopted in the summit declaration, will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

By Augustas Stankevičius, Vilmantas Venckūnas

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Iran-Russia dialogue increases need to deepen transatlantic positions – Lithuanian FM

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The dialogue between Tehran and Moscow on the latter’s possible support to response to strikes against Iran increases the need to strengthen transatlantic ties, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys has said.

“It would be very, very bad news if Russia were to support a possible future response by Iran to these strikes in the form of attacks against Israeli, US, or European targets in the Middle East,” the foreign minister said in a video comment from Brussels.

He stressed that such Russia’s involvement would “once again” worsen the developing relations between the United States and Russia, and saw an opportunity to strengthen Europe’s transatlantic dialogue.

“Looking at the opportunities, there are possibilities for us to return to transatlantic dialogue, sit down with the Americans, and work out both tracks from the positions of strength that were achieved in Iran. And where we still lack positions of strength, to achieve results, at a minimum, a truce in Ukraine,” Budrys said.

“All of Russia's attempts to keep Iran, Iran's attempts to draw Russia closer, give us more reasons to deepen transatlantic cooperation,” the minister added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with key ally Vladimir Putin on Monday, 48 hours after a major US attack on Iran's key nuclear facilities.

Landing in Moscow on Sunday evening ahead of the meeting, Araghchi said the talks with Putin would be of "great importance," Russian state media reported.

Moscow is a crucial backer of Tehran, but has not swung forcefully behind its partner since Israel launched a wave of attacks on June 13, strikes that triggered Iran to respond with missiles and drones.

Even though Russia condemned the Israeli and US strikes, it has not offered military help and has downplayed its obligations under a sweeping strategic partnership agreement signed with Tehran just months ago.

Last weekend, the United States carried out massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's nuclear program, though some officials cautioned that the extent of the damage was unclear.

By Dominykas Biržietis

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MP proposes recognizing 1941 independence declaration as legal act of Lithuanian state

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – MP Vytautas Sinica proposes that the Declaration of the Restoration of Independence issued by Lithuania's Provisional Government in 1941 be formally recognized as a legal act of the state.

Sinica argues that the June Uprising deserves recognition alongside other struggles for freedom and independence.

"In 2000, the Seimas granted (the declaration) legal status, elevating it to the appropriate official status in our historical policy and in the hierarchy of our statehood's foundations, but soon stepped back from its decision, and the issue has remained untouched ever since," he told a news conference.

Sinica said he will soon register a draft law to that effect, noting that the June Uprising reflected the nation's will to restore its statehood.

According to the MP, the mass killings of Jews in Lithuania began because of the Nazi occupation and occurred despite the Provisional Government's calls not to take repressive measures against the Jewish population.

The bill stresses that responsibility for the Holocaust in Lithuania lies not only with the occupying regime but also with individual Lithuanian citizens who collaborated with it. However, it states, an occupied nation cannot be held accountable for crimes committed by an occupying regime on its territory with the help of local collaborators.

The proposal urges the government and other state institutions to commemorate the June Uprising comprehensively and calls on academic institutions to conduct consistent and systematic research into the period.

According to Sinica, this is particularly important given the Kremlin's narrative about the uprising and its use in information warfare. He said a great deal of false information about the uprising and the Provisional Government is being spread in the United States.

"Attempts to portray the June Uprising as a Nazi or pro-Nazi operation, rather than a free nation's bid for independence, have always been central to the Soviet, and now Russian, historical narrative about Lithuania," the MP said.

"It's quite clear that if you discredit the uprising as illegal, criminal or unworthy of remembrance and respect, this undermines the entire narrative of resistance. That's exactly what the Kremlin has always aimed to do, arguing that there was no occupation, that Lithuania joined the Soviet Union of its own free will and therefore has no right to complain," he added.

According to Sinica, although the Provisional Government had no real power, failed to achieve its goals and was soon disbanded, it succeeded in "showing the whole world and ourselves as a nation that Lithuania in no way joined the Soviet Union of its own free will."

The MP stressed that it is wrong to link the Holocaust in Lithuania to the June Uprising.

"There's no doubt that mass killings of Jews took place in Lithuania. There's no doubt that this was a tragedy and a profound loss for our state. It's also indisputable that some Lithuanian citizens, ethnic Lithuanians, and some participants in the uprising were involved. However, the fact that certain individuals among the uprising's participants engaged in criminal acts during the occupation period doesn't in any way mean that the Provisional Government or the uprising's leadership encouraged or condoned this," he said.

"On the contrary, it's clearly documented that the Provisional Government urged people not to engage in repressions against Jews, condemned such actions, and did not approve of them in any form. That's why an essential principle of our historical policy should be the clear distinction that, although the Holocaust and resistance to Soviet occupation took place at the same time in Lithuania, they were not causally linked," he added.

Sinica told reporters that this past spring, the current government received an opinion from the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania (GRRCL) stating that the June 23, 1941 declaration should not be recognized as a legal act of the state.

According to the center, the uprising did not declare the establishment of a democratic system, public statements by its initiators suggest anti-Semitism, and the declaration itself was not prepared by legal experts as a legal document.

The June Uprising was an armed attempt led by the Lithuanian Activist Front (LAF) to restore Lithuania's independence. It began after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, with the hope that Berlin would help re-establish an independent Lithuanian state.

On June 23, 1941, during the uprising, the restoration of Lithuanian statehood was declared and the Provisional Government was formed. However, the goal remained unachieved as Nazi Germany imposed its own occupation regime.

The uprising was largely spontaneous, resulting in chaos and incidents of looting.

Soon after the uprising began, more than 50 Jews were publicly tortured and killed in the Lietukis garage courtyard in Kaunas, following several days of pogroms in the city.

One of the most prominent LAF figures behind the uprising was Kazys Skirpa, whose legacy remains highly controversial among historians and the public. 

On June 23, 2024, members of the National Alliance hung – without permission –  a memorial plaque to Skirpa on the former KGB building on Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius.

According to Sinica, legal proceedings over the matter are still ongoing.

In its report, the Genocide and Resistance Research Center described Skirpa as "a Lithuanian patriot who devoted great effort to the creation of an independent state and to organizing resistance against the Soviet occupation." However, it also noted that "there were manifestations of anti-Semitism" in his activities in 1940–1941.

The GRRCL said that under Skirpa's leadership, the LAF elevated antisemitism to a political level, which "may have encouraged some Lithuanians to get involved in the Holocaust." The LAF called for Jews to be expelled from Lithuania, although, according to the center, it was unaware of Nazi plans to carry out the Holocaust.

 

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Lithuania to work out new security measures for Russian passengers’ transit by train

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Following the escape of a Russian citizen from the Adler-Kaliningrad transit train, Lithuania will renew security measures to prevent such incidents, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic has already set up an inter-institutional working group to work out an updated response plan for possible incidents while making sure the Kaliningrad Special Transit Scheme is secure.

According to the minister, it is necessary to fundamentally review the security measures applied in legislation and in practice during the transit of passengers to and from the Kaliningrad region in order to completely prevent any possible incidents in the future, such as escapes, provocations, or diversionary attacks.

“The latest incident, where a Russian citizen left the train in transit, shows that the response algorithm is not working properly,” Kondratovic said.

In addition, the changed geopolitical situation in the region and increasingly frequent Russian hybrid operations, according to him, encourage new solutions to ensure the security of the Special Transit Scheme.

Public security services have already prepared a set of new proposals for the inter-institutional working group on how to strengthen the security of the Special Transit Scheme.

It is proposed to team up with the Lithuanian railway operator Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways) for exploring the technical possibilities for the police to receive real-time signals about open doors on moving trains. In such cases, police officers would be able to determine the exact location of the incident and respond immediately.

The installation of additional video surveillance and other detection devices on the locomotive to monitor the entire train will also be considered.

One of the proposals is to review the liability for leaving a train in transit through the Lithuanian territory.

Currently, transit to and from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is carried out in accordance with the existing agreement between the European Union and Russia and the obligations set out therein.

Last week, the Kybartai railway border checkpoint received a report that a Russian citizen born in 2004 had left the moving Adler–Kaliningrad train.

Police said about 25 minutes before the train was due to reach the Kybartai railway station, when the train was moving between Pilviskiai and Kybartai, an attendant noticed an open train door, through which the person could have jumped off.

The person who left the transit train was later identified as Russian citizen Danil Mukhametov.

Lithuanian officials have not yet been able to find the man.

According to border guards, a similar incident occurred in 2020, when an Uzbek man jumped off a train near Vilnius and died in an accident.

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Twenty-six species, including 4 relevant to Lithuania, added to EU's invasive species list

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The European Commission on Friday approved the addition of 26 new species, including four species relevant to Lithuania, to the European Union (EU) list of invasive species, the Environment Ministry reported on Monday.

According to the ministry, this decision aims to manage the damage caused by invasive species to biodiversity, human health, and the economy.

In particular, Japanese and giant knotweed, which grow in Lithuania, as well as the sika deer and the American mink, which are widespread in the country, were added to the list of invasive species.

The American mink is a predatory mammal that feeds on a variety of small animals, including birds, fish, amphibians and rodents.

According to the Environment Ministry, the spread of the American mink in the wild has led to the extinction of the European mink, a native species in Lithuania.

According to the ministry's data, there were around 9,000 American minks in Lithuania in 2007-2008, and as of 1 January this year, almost 731,000 of them were kept in fur farms.

Sika deer that have escaped from their enclosures and have become naturalized also threaten the gene pool of the local population of red deer.

According to the ministry, Japanese and giant knotweed are crowding out almost all native plants and destroying plant communities.

Their roots damage infrastructure, undermining building foundations, walls, roads, dams, pipelines, and drainage systems.

According to the ministry, species included in the EU list of invasive species will be subject to provisions prohibiting their intentional introduction, keeping, breeding/propagation, and distribution.

Species included in the EU list of invasive species may only be used with a permit for scientific research or for the planned keeping of invasive species for farming or commercial purposes.

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NATO jets in Baltics scrambled seven times over Russian aircraft last week

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – NATO fighter jets policing Baltic airspace were scrambled seven times last week to identify and escort Russian planes violating flight rules in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, Lithuania's Defense Ministry said on Monday.

On June 16, NATO jets took off to escort Russia’s SU-24MR reconnaissance plane and a SU-30SM fighter jet, and on June 17 – a TU-142 maritime reconnaissance plane and two SU-30 fighter jets.

On June 18, they were scrambled to identify a TU-214 passenger plane, two SU-27 fighter jets, and two SUs-30.

On June 19, the Alliance’s jets took off to patrol international airspace over the Baltic Sea, and on June 20, they escorted a Russian reconnaissance plane IL-20.

Most of the Russian aircraft were flying with their onboard transponders off, without flight plans and sometimes maintained radio contact with the regional traffic control center, sometimes not.

The NATO Baltic air policing mission is carried out from Lithuania and Estonia.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 25, 2025

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 25, 2025:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the NATO Summit in The Hague.

THE CABINET to hold its regular meeting at 11.30 a.m.  

DEFENSE MINISTER Dovile Sakaliene to attend the NATO Summit and sideline events in The Hague.

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Vilnius University moves down in global ranking, but outperforms other Lithuanian schools

VILNIUS, Jun 23, BNS – Vilnius University (VU) has gone down by 7 positions to rank 446th in the QS World University Rankings 2026.

Despite that, VU has retained its leading position among Lithuania’s higher education institutions that have made it to the global rankings. Last year, Vilnius University ranked 439th, and was 473rd the year before.

Meanwhile, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) rose slightly in the rankings and now shares second place with Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) among the Lithuanian higher education institutions featured in the rankings.

Overall, five Lithuania’s higher education institutions have made it to the latest global university rankings.

KTU is now ranked among the top 741-750 universities in the world, up from 751-760 last year, while VDU has achieved the same ranking of 741-750, unchanged from the year before.

Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and Mykolas Romeris University have maintained the same positions and are ranked 851-900 and 1001-1200, respectively.

The annual QS World University Rankings assess higher education institutions based on the following eight criteria: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty student ratio, international faculty ratio, international research network, international students ratio, and sustainability.

This year's QS rankings evaluated 8,467 higher education institutions, but only 1,501 were included in the rankings. Of these, 112 universities were ranked for the first time.

As usual, the top-ranked universities are from the US and the UK: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, Stanford University, Oxford University, Harvard University, and Cambridge University.

 

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