News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

VISTYTIS, LITHUANIA - OCTOBER 28: A field of corn stands near the border to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad on October 28, 2022 ne Vistytis, Lithuania. Vistytis lies in the strategically vital Suwalki Gap, an approximately 70km long stretch of lan

What is the Suwalki Gap and is it NATO's weak point?

A narrow stretch of land marking the border between Poland and Lithuania, known as the Suwalki Gap, has long been viewed by western military analysts as a potential weak point in NATO's eastern flank. How vulnerable is it?

Analysis and Comment • 21 Sep

Military personnel work at the site of a rescue operation for missing US soldiers at Pabrade training ground, Lithuania

Last US soldier who went missing in Lithuania found dead

The last of the four American soldiers who went missing in Lithuania last week has been found dead, the US Army said, without providing additional details.

World • 01 Apr

Lithuania's Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said the country was investigating the incident (file image)

GPS interference forces Ryanair diversion from Lithuania

A Ryanair plane about to land at Vilnius airport was diverted to Warsaw in Poland because of GPS interference, Lithuania's air navigation authority said

World • 17 Jan

The wreckage of the cargo plane is seen by the house it crashed into near Vilnius Airport

Germany says DHL crash could have had outside involvement

Germany's foreign minister has said the deadly crash of a DHL cargo plane near the Lithuanian capital's airport could have been an accident or a "hybrid incident" with outside involvement.

Europe • 25 Nov 24

The telecommunications cable being laid in the Baltic Sea off the shore of Helsinki in Finland in 2015

EU nations investigating 'sabotage' of Baltic Sea cables

European governments have accused Russia of escalating hybrid attacks on Ukraine's Western allies, as Baltic nations investigated whether the cutting of two fibre-optic telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea was sabotage.

World • 19 Nov 24

Gitanas Nauseda, who maintains a moderate stance on nearly all issues, has established himself as a promoter of the welfare state

Lithuanian president re-elected in a landslide vote

Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda has won re-election by a landslide in a vote marked by defence concerns over neighbouring Russia, official results showed.

World • 27 May 24

Leonid Volkov was a long time aide to Alexei Navalny

Exiled Navalny ally blames Putin over hammer attack

The top aide to late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has blamed the Kremlin after he was an assaulted with a hammer and tear gas outside his home in Lithuania.

World • 13 Mar 24

Alexander Lukashenko speaking to foreign journalists in Minsk in July

Is Belarus trying to destabilise its EU neighbours?

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are bolstering their border security in response to increasing activity along the Belarusian side of NATO's eastern frontier. Is Belarus "playing a game to destabilise" its EU and NATO neighbours?

World • 12 Aug 23

A Lithuanian border guard officer stands on a checkpoint next to the Lithuania-Belarus border (File pic)

Lithuania to close two border crossings with Belarus

Lithuania will close two of its six border crossings with Belarus amid concerns over the presence of Wagner mercenaries there, the Lithuanian deputy interior minister said.

Ukraine • 04 Aug 23

Russia issued a warning of serious consequences to Lithuania after it banned the rail transfer of some goods to Kaliningrad

Russia's Lithuania warning an 'open threat' to EU, NATO

Russia's warning of "serious" consequences to Lithuania for the implementation of European Union sanctions is an open threat to Europe and NATO, an adviser to Ukraine's presidential office has said.

Ukraine • 23 Jun 22

The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, which opened in November

Taiwan and Lithuania forge ties despite China pressure

Taiwan and Lithuania have become strange bedfellows despite China's warnings to the European nation last year. So how did this seemingly unlikely relationship develop, and why is China now putting pressure on Lithuania?

World • 13 Jan 22

Valdis Dombrovskis told German daily Die Welt that the Commission had been able to verify Lithuanian claims about the blockade

China's Lithuania blockade hits other EU exports

EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has warned that a Chinese blockade of Lithuania's exports over a dispute about Taiwan was increasingly affecting firms from other EU countries.

Business • 24 Dec 21

Maria Kolesnikova pictured inside the defendants' cage at the opening of her trial

Belarus protest leader Kolesnikova goes on trial

Maria Kolesnikova, the last remaining protest leader still in Belarus, has gone on trial after 10 months in custody as the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to crush all dissent.

World • 04 Aug 21

France, Japan and the US are among the more than half-a-dozen nations that Vilnius residents can get a taste of without leaving the Baltic city

Lithuanian capital to mimic holiday destinations

With virus travel restrictions preventing summer holidays abroad, Lithuania's capital is offering a low-cost alternative by mimicking the look and feel of different countries at weekends.

News Lens • 09 Jun 20

Gitanas Nauseda is a household name in Lithuania from his role as chief economist at a top bank

Lithuania's Nauseda wins presidential election

Former central banker Gitanas Nauseda has won Lithuania's presidential election after opponent Ingrida Simonyte conceded.

Europe • 27 May 19

Nine candidates are vying to fill the shoes of two-term incumbent Dalia Grybauskaite

Polls close in Lithuania's presidential election

Polls have closed in Lithuania's first round of elections which saw nine candidates compete for the country's presidency currently held by Dalia Grybauskaite, nicknamed the "Iron Lady" for her strong resolve.

Europe • 13 May 19

President Michael D Higgins is on a State visit to the Baltic nations

Higgins to clarify Presidential intentions next month

President Michael D Higgins has said he will clarify his future intentions early in July.

Ireland • 20 Jun 18

President Higgins spent yesterday in Latvia where he met President Raimonds Vejonis in Riga

Higgins urges smaller countries to ensure EU place

President Michael D Higgins has called for smaller European countries to work together to ensure their place at the heart of the EU.

Ireland • 19 Jun 18

The measures also include a ban on alcohol sales between 8pm and 10am

Lithuania raises drinking age to 20 to curb consumption

Lithuania has banned alcohol advertising and raised the legal drinking age to 20 from 18 as part of efforts to curb consumption in one of the world's hardest-drinking nations.

World • 01 Jun 17

The Baltic states' reliance on Russia for gas is a legacy of its five decades of Soviet rule

Lithuania signs US deal to replace Russian gas

Lithuania said it had signed a trade agreement to buy liquified natural gas from the United States in a move aimed at reducing the EU Baltic state's heavy dependence on Russian gas deliveries.

News • 28 Feb 15

Lithuania replaced the litas with the euro at midnight local time

Lithuania becomes 19th member of Eurozone

Lithuania adopted the euro at the stroke of midnight local time, becoming the Eurozone's 19th member just as Greek political uncertainty is renewing concern over the single currency bloc's economic prospects.

News • 31 Dec 14