Minsk: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday described neighboring Lithuania’s plans to close the border between the two countries as a ‘crazy scam.’

According to Anadolu Agency, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene announced plans on Monday to close the country’s border with Belarus indefinitely. The decision follows a series of four incidents in a week involving balloons violating Lithuanian airspace, prompting the country to also declare its intention to shoot down any such balloons in the future.

In an address at the 3rd International Conference on Eurasian Security held in Minsk, Lukashenko criticized the move, suggesting that it was not only anticipated by Belarus but also by its ‘opponents.’ “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,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by state news agency Belta.

He further stated that Belarus will respond “as best we can” to attempts to establish “overwhelming military superiority” on its borders, as well as efforts to destabilize the country’s economy and “subjugate Minsk to someone else’s will.”

Discussing relations with Western nations, Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus does not view itself as responsible for the deteriorating ties but expressed readiness to work collaboratively for peace. He also refuted accusations of Belarus using migration as a weapon and criticized the sanctions imposed on Minsk, describing them as “a noose around the neck of the Belarusian people.”

The Belarusian president denied any aggressive intentions toward European nations by Belarus or Russia and accused Western politicians of steering their countries toward “self-isolation.” He highlighted the EU’s potential role in a multipolar world order but expressed skepticism about its capability to fulfill this role.