On Saturday about a dozen Abrams tanks crossed into Lithuania from Poland.
US and EU have rejected results of Belarus presidential election
Lukashenko was declared the winner of the August 9th election with over 80 percent of the vote. There have been large demonstrations in Belarus opposing the results. The US and EU have called for a new round of voting.
Lukashenko claims NATO is attempting to oust him from office
For his part Lukashenko has accused NATO of building up military forces on the borders of Belarus in an attempt to force him out of office. The military drills near the Belarus border with Lithuania provide some support for that view. However, a Lithuanian defense ministry statement claimed that the military exercise was “pre-planned and not associated with any events in the region”. The statement said the deployment is to last until November. NATO had repeatedly denied any military buildup in the area.
Lithuania has granted refuge to Belarusian main opposition figure
Lithuania has given refuge to main opposition figure to Lukashenko, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya after she fled Belarus after Lukashenko’s election. US Deputy Secretary of State, Stephen Biegun met her on a trip to discuss the situation in Belarus. However, since his visit, Biegun has described the situation in Belarus as an internal conflict and has claimed that the conflict will not turn into an conflict between the West and Russia.
However, Beguin has also said that he would work with EU allies to push for a new round of elections in Belarus as well as to prepare for new sanctions against the country. It seems that the West is already pushing to unseat Luakashenko who has the support of Russia. The US and EU are already in conflict with Lukashenko and thus with Russia.
