VSAT commander, Rustamas Liubajevas, held a media briefing on the matter on Thursday. He said that systematic border checks are not carried out at the Lithuanian-Polish border, but additional personnel would be allocated together with other agencies – the police and the customs – in order to ensure public order and to regulate traffic flow if necessary.
Polish farmers on 1 March intend to start a blockade of the motorway between Budzisko village in Poland and Kalvarija in Lithuania. The protest campaign is expected to last for a week and Polish farmers will check the amount of Ukrainian grain transported to Poland.
Minister of Agriculture Kęstutis Navickas says discussions had lasted for a week with the Polish Ministry of Agriculture, the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture and Polish protesters.
Navickas stated that the ministry had not received any specific demands from Polish farmers. He also stressed that Poland exports more produce to Lithuania than Lithuania exports to Poland.
Head of the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) Vilmantas Vitkausas added that he was assured by Polish authorities that some goods vehicles could be diverted to Lazdijai border checkpoint.
Chancellor of the Ministry of Transport and Communications Ramūnas Dilba noted that approximately 6,600 goods vehicles cross Kalvarija-Budzisko checkpoint daily, which is the main route connecting Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with the West.