Russia may have targeted Lithuania’s embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in a missile attack on 1 August 2026, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys stated, LRT reports. He said that Lithuania could not rule out the possibility that the attack, which damaged the embassy, was deliberate, pointing out that there were almost no strategic facilities near…
Lithuania is making progress towards normalising relations with communist China, Juozas Olekas, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, said, BNS reports. Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said that Lithuania’s position on China remained unchanged, stressing the need for a unified European approach as part of the EU’s common foreign and security policy. He warned that…
Over a quarter of people in the Baltic States could not afford one week of annual holiday travel away from home in 2025, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. In Lithuania, 30.9% of residents could not afford one week of holiday travel in 2025, which was down from 32.2% in 2024. The corresponding share was…
Lithuania’s ISM University of Management and Economics will investigate a possible violation of academic ethics by Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius, BNS reports. ISM’s ethics committee will review a complaint regarding alleged plagiarism in Sinkevicius’s doctoral dissertation, which he defended in 2015. Sinkevicius has rejected the allegations, BNS reported. He suggested that the interest in his…
Türkiye’s Turkish Air Force (THK) has deployed some 80 troops and five F-16 fighter jets for the first time to Estonia’s Ämari air base as part of NATO’s Baltic air defence mission, ERR reports. THK replaced the Portuguese Air Force to patrol Baltic airspace until November 2026. Meanwhile, Italian Air Force has taken over responsibility…
Opposition MPs in the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, plan to ask the Constitutional Court to review the formation of the new government of Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius, ELTA reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, leader of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement (LLS), said that there were “several legitimate questions” regarding the procedure…
Italy has taken over NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, replacing French and Romanian forces, BNS reports. Italy will deploy an air defence contingent of around 200 personnel with four Eurofighter Typhoon (EF-2000) fighter jets to the Siauliai air base in northern Lithuania. The outgoing French and Romanian detachments consisted of about 210 troops with four…
Lithuania plans to open an embassy in Brazil in October 2026, BNS reports. The embassy would be located in the Brazilian capital, Brasília. Earlier, the Foreign Ministry planned to open the embassy in July 2026, ELTA reported. Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said that the embassy would help boost exports to Mercosur countries. Currently, Lithuania has…
Latvia has closed its border with Belarus for “technical reasons,” Interior Minister Janis Dombrava announced late on 31 July 2026, LSM reports. A day earlier, Dombrava urged Latvian residents not to travel across the border to or from Belarus. Kristine Petersone, spokesperson for Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS), said that the border was closed due…
