„We are facing a combined attack from Belarus. One attack is the hybrid instrumentalisation of balloons that are sent and violate our airspace, disrupting civil aviation operations,“ Budrys told reporters in Brussels on Monday.
„Another line of attack is the seizure of our trucks in Belarus, blackmail against us, and pressure on our economy,“ he emphasised.
According to him, Lithuania will take the position that such an attack by Minsk must be met with even greater sanctions against Belarus.
„The EU and its member states are under economic pressure. This is what the EU should do: protect its member states, protect its companies, and protect their assets. The way to do this is to impose more sanctions on the Belarusian economy, trade, and representatives of the regime,“ Budrys stressed.
As reported, Vilnius Airport was closed twice in the last 24 hours after objects moving toward it were detected in Lithuanian airspace.
According to Vilnius Airport, it was closed for almost five and a half hours on Sunday at 6:55 p.m., reopened at 12:25 a.m., and closed again on Monday night from 1:40 a.m. to 3:25 a.m.
The decision to suspend flights was based on signals recorded by the navigation system, which are characteristic of balloons approaching Vilnius Airport.
Vilnius Airport has announced that isolated flight delays may occur on Monday due to disruptions in crew and aircraft rotation.
ELTA reminds us that this is one of many cases where Vilnius Airport's operations have been suspended due to the threat of smuggled balloons from Belarus.
In response to these incidents, the Lithuanian government decided at the end of October to close the Medininkai and Šalčininkai border control points with Belarus, and their operations were resumed at midnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
However, despite the decision to reopen the checkpoints, Lithuanian trucks remain stuck at the border with Belarus, prompting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to deliver a note of protest to the Belarusian Embassy's representative in Lithuania.
For its part, Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) announced that it had asked the Prosecutor General's Office to launch a pre-trial investigation into the smuggling of balloons from Belarus, which, according to LTOU, pose a threat to national security.