LRT English Newsletter – June 19, 2026.
Lithuania is due to have a new prime minister – Mindaugas Sinkevičius (not to be confused with Virginijus Sinkevičius, the leader of the Democrats “For Lithuania” party and a coalition partner-to-be).
Mindaugas Sinkevičius spent most of his career in local politics, only briefly holding a ministerial post in the 2016–2020 government led by the Farmers and Greens. He was later embroiled in the expenses scandal and was found guilty, before being ultimately cleared of charges by the supreme court. In the meantime, he went into business, with those links continuing to stalk him back to politics. Read more about him here.
On the foreign policy front, he questioned the effectiveness of sanctions on Belarus (adding that Vilnius will maintain a joint position with Brussels and stay in contact with the US about it), and called for a pragmatic approach to China. The outgoing, Social Democrat government has now allowed Beijing to open a downgraded diplomatic office, which a senior MP called “a bow to China”. However, the update was quickly downplayed by the PM and the Foreign Ministry. Read more here.RULING COALITION TO BESinkevičius will find himself heading the new coalition, which will see the return of Democrats “For Lithuania” – who withdrew over conflicts with Nemunas Dawn following PM Gintautas Paluckas’ resignation last year – and the same Farmers and Greens and Christian Families Union group. The new government should assume their posts in the next several weeks.
