Last week, President Nausėda called Trump’s Greenland remarks unacceptable; a new batch of 50 JLTVs arrived in Lithuania
Wizz Air resumes Vilnius-Tel Aviv flights
Hungary’s low-cost carrier Wizz Air is resuming flights from Vilnius to Tel Aviv, which were halted last October. The airline announced on Thursday, the 16th of January, that the flights will operate three times a week: on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The decision comes after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas reached a deal on the release of hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the 15th of January.
Lithuanian border guards slap Belarusian with a fine
Lithuanian border guards stopped another Belarusian at the Medininkai border checkpoint for demonstrating banned symbols, the State Border Guard Service said on Wednesday, the 15th of January. On Tuesday, the 14th of January, officers checked the documents of persons and cars traveling from Lithuania to Belarus. Among them was a Volkswagen Caravelle with Belarusian plates, driven by a Belarusian citizen, 62, with a temporary residence permit to stay in Lithuania until August. His documents were in order, but the border guards spotted a pennant on the car’s interior mirror, which was clearly visible and had to do with the paratrooper forces of the former Soviet Union. Among other Soviet symbols, it also featured a two-coloured Saint George ribbon and a Soviet flag. In Lithuania, the public display of Soviet symbols is prohibited. As a result, the border guards fined the Belarusian national 150 euros and confiscated the pennant. Only then was the Belarusian allowed to travel to his country.
Lithuania contributes two ships to NATO’s Baltic Sea mission
The Lithuanian Navy has assigned two ships to NATO’s critical infrastructure protection operation in the Baltic Sea and they sailed out on Wednesday, the 15th of January, the Lithuanian army said. A mine countermeasure and patrol vessels were activated and sailed to the Baltic Sea as part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry operation’s action plan, it said. During the operation, the Lithuanian ships will carry out patrol and surveillance tasks, work closely with NATO allied forces and will use modern technologies to detect and prevent potential threats promptly. The NATO operation comes in response to the discovery of damage to submarine cables between Estonia and Finland to prevent possible attempts to damage submarine infrastructure and strengthen regional security after one electricity and four telecommunications cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea.
Ministry to look into the US decision to restrict AI chip exports to Lithuania
Lithuanian Economy and Innovation Minister Lukas Savickas said on Wednesday, the 15th of January, he will be looking into the United States’ recent decision to include Lithuania among the countries that will be subject to AI chip export restrictions. “I do not fully understand yet as to why the US has made this decision. Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity to ask the US Ambassador about this and what is the reasoning behind that (…). All decisions can be made, changed, reversed. This is a matter that is resolved bilaterally,” Savickas told reporters. Nevertheless, he said, Lithuanian business representatives have so far not indicated that they would be significantly affected by the US decision. Lithuania has made political efforts to show its “anti-China stance” and has worked with Taiwan, but this does not seem to have been enough to create a proper image, political scientist Tomas Janeliūnas told the 15min.lt news website. Also, he pointed out, that the US decision might be linked to the risk of sanction evasion as the Baltic countries are mentioned in the context of re-exports to Russia and Central Asia.
Top court rule on whether president could approve incomplete Cabinet
The Lithuanian Constitutional Court on Wednesday, the 15th of January, agreed to examine a petition from the opposition questioning the constitutionality of President Gitanas Nausėda’s decree approving an incomplete Cabinet. The petition was filed by a group of conservative lawmakers after Nausėda endorsed Social Democratic Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas’ Cabinet consisting of twelve ministers instead of fourteen. The opposition MPs are seeking clarification on how many ministers are required for the government to be legitimate. They argue that forming an incomplete Cabinet undermines the time limits set for appointing ministers, potentially creating conditions for a breach of the constitutional principle of responsible governance. They also point out that the Constitution does not set any timeframe for filling the remaining positions in a newly formed government. The petitioners are asking the court to look into whether the initial appointment of only part of the Cabinet goes against this provision, as well as the constitutional principles of the rule of law and responsible governance.
A new batch of 50 JLTVs arrives in Lithuania
A new batch of 50 US-made Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) arrived in Lithuania in January, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday, the 15th of January. The Lithuanian Armed Forces will have a total of 500 JLTVs once the remaining American-made vehicles are delivered later this year, it said in a press release. The JLTV procurement began in 2019 when the Defence Ministry signed a contract with the US government. The first phase of the project was completed last year, with 200 vehicles delivered to the Lithuanian military. The second phase will see a total of 300 JLTVs produced by US-based Oshkosh Defence for the Lithuanian Armed Forces under a contract signed in 2022. The military has said it has already received two second-phase shipments, comprising 35 and around 150 JLTVs, respectively. Under the contract, the remaining vehicles are to be delivered by the end of this year.
Lithuania’s LFGU joins European Conservatives and Reformists
The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union has become a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists party. The move was unanimously approved by the ECR Council in Brussels on Tuesday, the 14th of January, the LFGU said. Its leader Ramūnas Karbauskis says this decision demonstrates the confidence in the LFGU, adding that the party has proved to be a reliable and equal player in European politics. Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also took over the ECR leadership on Tuesday, replacing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The ECR has 80 members in the European Parliament and is the fourth largest group. The ECR unites 21 political parties from 19 European countries.
Lithuania does not rule out sending troops to Kyiv if requested
If Kyiv requested the deployment of troops from some Western countries, including Lithuania, to Ukraine, Vilnius would discuss the issue with allies, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Tuesday, the 14th of January. “We’d talk with our allies and partners about what it looks like, and we’d talk with Ukraine about what it looks like. Let me remind you that after the Paris summit, when President (Emmanuel) Macron invited Lithuania’s president, among others, to discuss the initiative to expand military involvement in Ukraine in various forms, Lithuania didn’t rule out that possibility,” Lithuania’s top diplomat told an LRT TV program. Budrys noted that Lithuania has been a security provider in the region, contributing not only diplomatically but also through other means.
Public Security Service starts protecting LitPol Link infrastructure
Lithuania’s Public Security Service (PSS) on Tuesday, the 14th of January, started protecting the Alytus switchyard and transformer substation of the LitPol Link power interconnection with Poland, through which the Baltic power grids are set to synchronize with the Continental European network in February. The PSS was initially scheduled to take over the protection of these facilities from a private security company in April. However, the Cabinet in early January urgently approved the Interior Ministry’s proposal to expedite this transition. The move came ahead of the Baltic grids’ planned 8th of February disconnection from the Russia-controlled IPS/UPS system and synchronization with the Continental European network. It also reflects heightened security concerns in the Baltic Sea region following incidents where electricity and telecommunications cables were damaged.
Lithuanian leaders not invited to Trump’s inauguration
Lithuania’s leaders will not attend US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, the President’s Office announced on Monday, the 13th of January. Trump’s spokeswoman, Caroline Leavitt, has previously said that other foreign leaders had been invited to the ceremony. The prime ministers of Italy and Hungary and the president of Argentina are expected to attend the event. Trump’s inauguration in Washington will take place on the 20th of January.
President calls Trump’s Greenland remarks unacceptable
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Monday, the 13th of January, described US President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks about taking control of Greenland as unacceptable and called for respect for sovereignty. “For now, we see statements that question state borders. This is not acceptable in the 21st century. As far as I recall, the 19th century was the last era when territories were bought and sold,” Nausėda told reporters. “Today, we live in the 21st century, and we must respect territorial integrity and sovereignty, especially of globally recognized states that adhere to democratic principles. So, let’s regard this as a misunderstanding,” he said.