Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene expressed support for Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys amid speculation about his future in government, LRT reported. Nauseda insisted that discussions about replacing Budrys were “not very responsible and not very serious”, pointing out that no concrete allegations had been made against him. Moreover, the President noted that Budrys was one of the most popular ministers in the current government. Ruginiene also assured that Budrys was doing a good job, ELTA reported.
Earlier, Mindaugas Sinkevicius, leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), and Remigijus Zemaitaitis, leader of the populist Dawn of Nemunas party, criticised Budrys for diverging from government and party policy. Opposition leaders suggested that Budrys could be replaced soon, Lietuvos Rytas reported. Budrys has been criticised for his recent remarks on the security of Russia’s Kaliningrad region and his stance on relations with Belarus and China, LRT reported. Previously, Budrys served as Nauseda’s chief national security adviser.