Former Lithuanian Defence Minister: Lukashenka's goals didn’t change

• 3.12.2025, 11:34

Belarusians and Lithuanians must be prepared for a border closure.

In an interview with Charter97.org, MEP and former Lithuanian Defence Minister Rasa Juknevičienė commented on peace negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine and on Lukashenka’s hybrid attacks on Lithuania. The politician believes that the West must deliver a coordinated response to the Belarusian dictator’s provocations.

— You said recently that the attempts by the Trump administration to agree with Putin are a big mistake. Why?

— Because there will be no good deal with Putin, just as there was no good deal with Hitler. I think the perception of this war in the current administration is not correct. They treat this like a regional conflict: between Azerbaijan and Armenia or between India and Pakistan or something like that. It's not like this. This war is very different. This war has started with the ultimatum by Putin in 2021. The ultimatum is still valid. Nobody ever said that it is not. Putin, Lavrov and others are repeating that they have to eliminate the main reasons for the war. But the main reason for the war is imperialistic colonial Kremlin's ideology. The name of that ideology is Russkiy Mir. This ideology is very close to Hitler, or if you want, to Hitler and Stalin in one totalitarian ideology. This is significantly different from all other ongoing conflicts. So, this is the main mistake.

We desperately need peace. Ukrainians more than the others, want peace, but not Putin. Ceasefire is important to start any negotiations. It's very difficult to imagine that the Trump administration will change their mindsets and they will join today other European countries to find more political will to fight and to defeat this evil. So that is why an option now is to try to have a better so-called deal to at least bring peace for as long as possible to the continent, but not to surrender Ukraine.

In sum, these are two options. One option (which is unfortunately not possible today) is to include the United States into the common fight with the same understanding. Another option is to influence those talks that representatives of the Trump administration and the Kremlin started — the talks can bring very bad consequences if they are not corrected.

— Let's assume for the sake of discussion there will be a good reasonable deal and that Putin will sign it. What is Putin's next target after the deal?

— First, today, I cannot imagine Putin signing any deal, because he is trying to win time to postpone more sanctions or to keep the United States and the European countries not united on that issue.

Much depends on the deal's content. If there will be no security guarantees for Ukraine even disregarding the territories — that will be one situation. But if it will be a more reasonable, more pro-Ukrainian side deal: ceasefire, peace for at least for some time, possibility to speed up their EU accession — that we have to fight for. There is a lot of work in front of us: not only for Ukraine, but also for the European Union. We have some unresolved problems: Hungary is blocking pro-Ukrainian initiatives — it could be that other countries can do this. However Hungary is approaching the next year's election campaign, so this also will be a factor and maybe even - who knows - some hope for the European Union.

Will it be Putin in the Kremlin or some other guy — as long as this imperialistic colonial totalitarian approach with Russkiy mir ideology prevails in the Kremlin there will be no peace or calm life for all of us in Europe.

Before this conversation here, in the Committee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament, we have discussed hybrid attacks and sabotage attacks in Poland. We talked about our situation in Lithuania where Belarus and the Lukashenka regime is being used by the Kremlin to create chaos in our country. Things like that will only increase even if there will be a peace deal with Putin.

— There was a moment when weather balloons coming from Belarus to Lithuania were in the spotlight but now the topic all but disappeared from the headlines. How much weather balloons flying in from Belarus are still a disruption for Lithuania?

— It has not disappeared. In Lithuania, it is still the topic number one. It is not only about balloons now, but also about blackmailing the Lithuanian government with our truck drivers and vehicles being held hostage without being able to return to Lithuania. Lukashenka is blackmailing our government to have a high level political dialogue. This situation is not yet solved at all.

This is a coordinated combined offensive against Lithuania, and Belarus is still conducting it. On Sunday, we had the largest balloon attack ever against Vilnius Airport. And what does it mean, balloons? I think many people don't understand. These smuggling balloons are the size of a room, they are loaded with up to 60 kilos of cargo, they can ascend up to 15 kilometers, and can be carried by high-altitude winds at speeds up to 200 kilometers per hour. So, it's not just smuggling. We have to understand that Lukashenka is controlling everything, especially the border. So, this is intentional. It's very clear now, especially when they took as hostages our truck vehicles and asked for payments or high-level meetings.

This hybrid attack does create some chaos inside the country. There are losses for our economy, losses for the airport and its credibility. Many people have lost their flights, a lot of time and nerves. So, it is very clear that this is a coordinated hybrid attack using smugglers as a tool, like a few years ago they used a similar instrument to weaponise migrants. By the way, they conducted that hybrid attack before the full-scale aggression in Ukraine.

The purposes were and remain the same: chaos, changing the attitude of Lithuania and Poland, and stoking fear.

— When the work of the largest international airport in the country is being disrupted, things like business, conferences, international relations — all this suffers?

— Of course. We are facing a lot of consequences because Vilnius is the closest airport to the Belarusian border.

Sorry to say this, and I am afraid not every Belarusian assumes this, Belarus now is like an occupied country by the Russian Federation, and Lukashenka is only a proxy of the colonial empire. The Kremlin is behind these attacks, there can be no doubts. Back in 2014, our then-president Grybauskaite called Russia a terrorist state. We have to see the whole picture: it's not only Lithuania. It's also Poland, drones over Brussels airports and Belgian military bases. Belgium is important for them because of the frozen Russian assets held in Brussels, and they are trying to intimidate. Russia and Belarus, as a proxy of Russia, are operating below NATO Article 5: while making a lot of noise and chaos they don't want to cross the Article 5 line, but the goal is the same.

We are at war. Not like Ukrainians are — different kinds of war, different instruments are used. By the way, sometimes the instruments are very cheap, and we have to find the proper response to that.

— In that situation of the hybrid war and continuing hybrid attack by way of weather balloons, what is your take regarding the recent reopening of two Belarus-Lithuania border crossings?

— It's always difficult to criticize the government of your own country, however, the current government does not have enough experience. There are new ministers, a new prime minister without any past political experience. I think this is also a factor why Belarus is using blackmail against us — because they are expecting a very weak response. But we have to be united. During the plenary session in Strasbourg I spoke on behalf of EPP, the largest group at the European Parliament giving as much as possible information on that. Other MEPs were talking about other attacks, but we are also trying to see the whole picture and inform as many politicians as possible.

War is war, and if it will be necessary, it will be no other choice, but to cooperate and coordinate with our neighbors, Poland, Latvia and also with the European Union — not like when we close a border crossing but others open theirs or there remains a crossing in another country which still operates (that would create additional chaos for our business). It is not so easy to coordinate, and Lukashenka also knows this. But we need more sanctions and the sanctions against this country are already on the table. There are still many open possibilities to sanction Lukashenka.

The most important thing is to have a very clear picture and diagnosis: it is an attack against us, so we have to find new rules inside the European Union to sanction a country, one way or another, this time Belarus, for such hybrid attacks. We have to have new regulations: sanctions for what? For exactly these activities they are doing, these hybrid attacks, coordinated combined offensive against one of EU countries or even more than one.

— New challenges require new approaches?

— Yes. Of course. Belarusians and Lithuanians and others have to be ready for the border closing if it is necessary.