Week in Lithuania | MPs seek EU ban on Russian, Belarusian grain imports; bank proposes ways of financing defence
Last week, Lithuanian intelligence said Volkov’s attack in Vilnius was likely Kremlin-organised operation
Lithuanian, Greek defence ministers meet in Vilnius
Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas on Friday, the 15th of March, hosted his Greek counterpart Nikolaos Dendias. Following an official welcome ceremony in the courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, the two ministers met to discuss bilateral defence cooperation, the security situation and the NATO agenda. Later, Dendias visited Šiauliai air base and met with Lithuanian Air Force personnel and Belgian and French troops carrying out NATO’s Baltic air policing mission.
MPs urge international community to step up aid to Ukraine
The Lithuanian parliament called on Thursday, the 14th of March, the international community to urgently step up aid to Ukraine, warning that any delay in providing assistance favours Russia and prolongs the war. “The Seimas calls on the international community to urgently and substantially increase political, economic, financial, military, technical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in order to help Ukraine regain full control of its internationally recognized territory and successfully defend itself against further Russian aggression,” it said in a resolution. The resolution was supported by 108 MPs, with no votes against or abstentions. Parliamentarians underlined that military assistance is the priority at the moment and that “delaying aid to Ukraine favours Russia and prolongs the war, at the cost of innocent Ukrainian lives”.
MPs ask EU commission to outlaw Russian, Belarusian grain imports
The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday, the 14th of March, adopted a resolution asking the European Commission to ban Russian and Belarusian grain imports into the European Union. The resolution, passed with 107 votes in favour, none against and no abstentions, proposes that the EU’s executive body promptly prepare legislative proposals to this effect. The document also asks the Commission to ensure cooperation and coordination among EU member states to effectively and uniformly implement the ban throughout the bloc. Lithuanian MPs also call on the Commission to examine the possibility of banning the import of food products of Russian and Belarusian origin into the EU and using products supplied by Ukrainian agricultural entities if there is a need to regulate agricultural product flows.
Central bank proposes ways of financing defence
As politicians seek solutions on how to additionally finance defence, Gediminas Šimkus, the central bank governor, said on Thursday, the 14th of March, the solutions the bank suggests could raise an additional 300 million euros, or 0.4% of GDP. The Bank of Lithuania proposes scrapping or reducing tax breaks and incentives and increasing property taxation. Šimkus said that the central bank suggests that the authorities first review the current zero VAT rate on district heating and the reduced 5% corporate income tax rate for small businesses. It also proposes reviewing reduced excise duties, including on diesel fuel used in agriculture, the current provision that allows private individuals to deduct part of their contributions to third-pillar pension funds and life insurance premiums from their taxable income, and the tax exemption on gifts received from close relatives.
Soldier killed in Ukraine to be buried in Vilnius
Tadas Tumas, a Lithuanian volunteer who died in late February while fighting in Ukraine’s Foreign Legion, will be buried in Vilnius on Saturday, the 16th of March, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday, the 13th of March. Tumas, nicknamed Giant, was killed on the 23rd of February 23, becoming the first Lithuanian soldier to die while fighting on the side of Ukraine against Russian aggression. He and a Ukrainian soldier were transporting mines to the front lines near Bakhmut when their vehicle was hit by a Russian drone.
President backs debate on sending troops to Ukraine
President Gitanas Nausėda said on Wednesday, the 13th of March, he supports the debate on sending troops to Ukraine to train local forces and urges the West to stop “drawing red lines”. “I welcomed the idea of sending missions to Ukrainian territory as an idea, and I still believe that we should discuss this idea, but the thing is that, of course, the best thing would be for all of us to agree unanimously on the need for this and to assess very well the intelligence and other information that we have,” Nausėda told reporters in Paris on Wednesday.
Volkov’s attack in Vilnius was likely Kremlin-organised operation
The recent attack on Leonid Volkov, a close associate of late Alexei Navalny, in Vilnius was likely a Russian-organized and carried out operation, Lithuania’s State Security Department said on Tuesday, the 12th of March. According to the SSD, the Kremlin regularly collects information on members of this organization living abroad and has staged attacks that have endangered their lives or health, the intelligence service says. Volkov was assaulted on Tuesday (the 12th of March) night in a car on Žuvėdrų Street in Vilnius, close to his home. Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said that the attacker broke the car window, tear-gassed him and started hitting Volkov with a hammer. The suspects have not yet been identified.
Lithuania generates more electricity than it needs first time in 15 years
Lithuania generated more electricity than it consumed on Monday for the first time since 2009, and almost all of it came from renewable energy sources, mainly solar and wind, the Energy Ministry said on Tuesday, the 12th of March. This event shows that Lithuania is getting closer to its full energy independence, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys pointed out. Data from Litgrid, the state-owned electricity transmission system operator, shows that 31.8 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity were generated in the country on Monday, while the country’s total consumption reached 29.77 GWh. The last time daily electricity production exceeded consumption was in 2009 when the Ignalina nuclear power plant was still operating. Last year, Lithuania produced on average 45% of the electricity it needed, pushing the indicator to 55% by the end of the year.
Lufthansa cancels four Vilnius-Frankfurt flights on Tuesday
German airline Lufthansa has cancelled all flights between Vilnius and Frankfurt scheduled for Tuesday due to a strike by its employees. A total of four flights were cancelled, Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU), the airport operator in Lithuania, said. LTOU do not yet have any information about the cancellations planned for other days.
President has no plans to refuse photos for children
President Gitanas Nausėda has no plans to say no to photo or video requests from children and adults, the president office said on Tuesday, the 12th of March. The comment followed an incident on Monday, the 11th of March. when Lithuania marked its Day of Restoration of Independence, when a boy approached the president and asked to make a video together and send best wishes to his alleged friend, the notorious Belarusian video blogger Andrey Burim, known on social media as Mellstroy. “Despite the fact that the child who approached the president in Independence Square yesterday concealed the purpose of his request to convey greetings to his ‘friend’, the president will continue taking photos with children and adults who ask for them,” the presidential office said in a statement. Burim earlier offered on social media to pay two million US dollars, if someone arranged a greeting from a head of state. The vlogger hit the headlines in 2020 when he beat up a girl during a live broadcast. He has been blocked by platforms such as YouTube and Twitch for gambling ads.
Lithuania hands in diplomatic note to Belarus over Lithuanian citizen’s death
Lithuania has expressed its strong protest to Belarus over the death of a Lithuanian citizen in detention in Belarus, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, the 12th of March. The note was handed over to the Belarusian charge d’affaires ad interim, and it expressed Lithuania’s strong protest against the detention of Lithuanian citizen in Belarus on the 31st of December and his death in a detention facility, allegedly due to the failure to provide him with the necessary medical assistance. The Foreign Ministry once again strongly recommends that Lithuanians should not travel to Belarus and those currently in the country should leave immediately.
