NATO stands with Lithuania over balloon incursion: Rutte

BRUSSELS: NATO voiced firm support for Lithuania Tuesday over what Vilnius condemned as a “hybrid attack” on its airspace by Russia’s ally Belarus, involving balloons filled with contraband cigarettes. The alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte said he had spoken with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda about the incident, in which dozens of balloons forced the temporary closure of two airports last week. “NATO stands firmly with Lithuania — including through the air policing currently provided by Spain and Hungary as well as the NATO forces led by Germany,” Rutte wrote on X.

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