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18 Nov 2025

Lithuanian government to decide on reopening border crossings at Belarus border on 19 November

An archive photo

MINSK, 18 November (BelTA) – Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene has stated that she would support reopening two closed border crossings at the border with Belarus, Lithuanian mass media report.

In her words, on 19 November the Lithuanian government will decide whether the two closed border crossings at the border with Belarus should be reopened. She added that the National Security Commission had recommended considering the possibility of reopening the two border crossings at a Cabinet session tomorrow.

Inga Ruginiene said that once the government makes the decision, the border crossings can resume operation within 24 hours. The time takes into account preparation work.

“Actually if the situation does not change and we have the same results we see today, then I personally support this decision,” she said after a session of the National Security Commission.

According to the Lithuanian prime minister, if the border crossings are reopened, the truckers must be allowed to return to Lithuania.

Remigijus Motuzas, Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Lithuanian parliament, had previously stated that on 19 November the Lithuanian government would make the final decision on reopening the border with Belarus. Due to the current situation, he indicated, Vilnius is leaning towards reopening the border earlier than on 30 November. Remigijus Motuzas indicated that the crisis at the border is much bigger than it had been assumed: not only Lithuanian shipping companies demand the border be reopened but also China and Central Asia countries, which are unhappy about disrupted delivery chains.

On 18 November representatives of Belarus’ and Lithuania’s border service agencies held negotiations to discuss the border situation. The parties exchanged views on resolving the border crisis.

On 29 October the Lithuanian government authorized closing the border crossings at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border till 30 November. The border crossing Salcininkai (Benyakoni on the Belarusian side) is closed to all traffic while the border crossing Medininkai (Kamenny Log on the Belarusian side) is still open to individuals, for whom exceptions have been made. Representatives of the Lithuanian freight carriers association Linava previously opined that Belarus had not committed errors in the situation at the border while Lithuania should have hunted down smugglers with weather balloons in its own territory instead of closing the border.