(MENAFN) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday denounced Lithuania’s decision to shut its border with Belarus indefinitely, calling it a “crazy scam.”

The move came a day after Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene announced plans to seal the border and authorize the shooting down of any balloons entering the country’s airspace, following several recent incidents.

Speaking at the 3rd International Conference on Eurasian Security in Minsk, Lukashenko said the action had been anticipated not only by Belarus but also by its rivals. “This was precisely the goal some of our neighbors had in mind when they pulled off this crazy border closure scam.

And the pretext they came up with was absurd—balloons. Even for a small country like Lithuania, this is trivial,” he said, according to reports.

Lukashenko stated that Belarus would respond “as best we can” to efforts aimed at creating “overwhelming military superiority” near its borders or undermining its economy and sovereignty.

Addressing relations with Western nations, he argued that Minsk was not responsible for the current tensions but remained willing to pursue peaceful cooperation.

He also dismissed claims that Belarus was weaponizing migration and described sanctions imposed on his country as “a noose around the neck of the Belarusian people.”

The president further denied that Belarus and Russia posed any threat to European states, accusing Western leaders of steering their nations toward “self-isolation.” Lukashenko added that while the European Union should play an important role in shaping a multipolar global order, he doubted its capacity to fulfill that role.

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