Context: After five years of imprisonment, Maryia Kalesnikava, one of the leaders of the 2020 protests in Belarus, gave an interview to Russian journalist Yury Dud. She explained why she is urging European countries to engage in dialogue with Aleksandr Lukashenko and lift sanctions. Kalesnikava also met with Lithuanian leaders and appealed to them to restore the Minsk-Vilnius passenger railway service. The Lithuanian prime minister responded that she has not yet seen an opportunity to improve relations, as hybrid attacks from Belarus continue.
On January 30, 2026, participants in the Klub Redaktorov show discussed the policies of Belarus’s northern neighbors on the First Information TV Channel. Uladzimir Piartsou, the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration, shared his thoughts on the financial resources he believes Lithuania relies upon:
“The country is living off subsidies from the European Union and other Western donors, particularly the United States. They realize that this stream will soon run out. Europe is not doing well.”
External sources indeed cover some of Lithuania’s expenses. In 2025, the European Union and other international funds accounted for approximately €3.6 billion in the Lithuanian state budget, or around 15% of total state budget expenditures. Taking Lithuania’s contribution to EU funds into account, the share drops to 13%. In 2026, external financial aid is expected to account for around 11% of the total. This means Lithuania depends on donors to some extent. But this is not a unique situation.
The national budget of Belarus includes an item titled “Gratuitous transfers from foreign states.” In 2025, their total amounted to 4 billion Belarusian rubles (€1.16 billion), covering approximately 8.7% of budget expenditures. This year, the “gratuitous transfer” amount is expected to increase by 50%. Considering the increase in the Belarusian treasury’s spending, it will cover 11% of expenditures. In 2023, the proportion of gratuitous transfers from abroad was almost 15%, higher than in Lithuania.
