Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas will resign, the government announced, LRT reports. Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte explained that the government wanted to do “more and faster” for Lithuania’s security. Anusauskas revealed that Simonyte had offered him another post but he had refused. The minister said that the offer to swap posts was “unexpected.” Simonyte named…
Lithuanian farmers and grain processors are expressing increased concern over the import of Russian grain into the EU, LRT reports. Ausrys Macijauskas, chairman of the Lithuanian Grain Growers Association (LGAA), noted that 12mn tonnes of Russian grain was imported into the EU in 2023, including over 3mn tonnes via Latvia and Lithuania. Macijauskas said that…
Polish President Andrzej Duda assured that Poland was ready to defend every inch of NATO territory, including all three Baltic States, BNS reported. Speaking to visiting Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Duda vowed that Lithuania could count on Poland. Lithuania’s chief of defence, General Valdemaras Rupsys, also noted that NATO planned for the use of Polish…
Lithuania will join the Czech-led initiative to buy ammunition for Ukraine, according to Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, BNS reports. Contributing countries will look for potential ammunition stocks or sources of rapid production for acquisition. The plan is to procure 800,000 shells outside the EU, including possibly from India, South Africa, South Korea, and Türkiye, Kyiv…
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk assured that Poland’s solidarity with Lithuania in case of an attack was “unquestionable,” BNS reported. Earlier, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte raised concerns about Polish commitment to defending Lithuania, despite NATO obligations. Simonyte explained that she was referring to “legal restrictions” on Poland sending troops abroad in case of war….
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda remains the country’s most popular politician, according to a Vilmorus poll for Lietuvos Rytas in February 2024, BNS reports. Nauseda’s favourable rating stood at 66%, which was down from 68.3% in December 2023. His unfavourable rating was 15.1% (13.5%). MEP Vilija Blinkeviciute, chairwoman of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP),…
Lithuania has altogether 2,266 stateless residents, of whom 2,151 have permanent residence permits, according to data from the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), LRT reports. In 2018, the number of stateless people totalled 3,193. Most of the stateless residents are persons who failed to apply for citizenship after Lithuania regained its independence in 1991. Stateless persons…
Polish farmers have begun a week-long partial blockade of the Lithuanian border, BNS reports. The farmers are protesting against the EU’s environmental policies and the import of Ukrainian agricultural products. Polish authorities, not the farmers themselves, will conduct official checks, focusing on the origin of grain, particularly potential Russian imports disguised as Ukrainian. The farmers…
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) has reassured the public on social media that there is no imminent threat of war, LRT reports. Responding to questions from the public, LGP noted that there was no concentration of military equipment on the country’s borders and no indication of an enemy’s intention to attack. The statement emphasised the…