US officials have pressured Lithuania to allow exports of EU-sanctioned Belarusian potash fertilisers via the port of Klaipeda, Politico reports. European officials said that the US special envoy to Belarus, John Coale, has been lobbying Lithuanian authorities on all levels about the issue for more than a year. US officials have also raised the possibility…
Lithuania’s GDP totalled EUR 24.4bn at current prices in the third quarter of 2026, according to the State Data Agency’s (VDA) first estimate, BNS reports. Compared to the same period of 2025, the seasonally and working-day adjusted GDP rose by 2.3%. However, compared to the second quarter of 2026, the GDP contracted by 1.0%. Construction,…
US defence officials urged the Baltic States to tone down their rhetoric on the threat posed by Russia, arguing that some statements had undermined European security, Reuters reported. One of the US officials was Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of Defence for Policy at the US Defence Department, who insisted on not “poking” Russia. He pointed…
The Baltic joint venture, RB Rail, has submitted a new application to the European Commission for an additional EUR 357.5mn in funding from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the Rail Baltica railway project, BNS reports. The European Commission and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency are expected to announce their decisions on…
Lithuania’s State Defence Council has decided to introduce universal military conscription in 2032, President Gitanas Nauseda announced, BNS reports. Universal conscription will apply to men ages 18 to 22 years, replacing the current selective draft. Women will still be able to volunteer for military service. Nauseda said that about 7,500 young men would be drafted…
The European Commission has rejected a request from the three Baltic States for EUR 500mn of EU funding to develop an anti-drone defence system, LRT reports. Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said that the system would have combined drone detection, AI, and interception technology into an integrated air-defence system. The European Commissioner for Defence and…
Lithuania should resume discussion on the possibility of building a metro system in Vilnius, Vaidas Augustinavicius, chief economic and social policy adviser to President Gitanas Nauseda, said, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Augustinavicius argued that the project should be reassessed given the new geopolitical context. He suggested that the underground metro…
Baltic officials were mostly critical of Finnish President Alexander Stubb’s and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna insisted that “every contact with Russia must convey Europe’s unity and determination to support Ukraine and maintain pressure on Russia,” ERR reported. He called for increased…
Restoring Lithuania’s full diplomatic relations with communist China should not depend on the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Nauseda suggested restoring diplomatic representation on a lower level first, such as deputy heads of mission rather than ambassadors. He…
