Belarus border closure and Lithuania's emergency, as of 7 July 2021
A look back at two regional disputes involving Belarus that were reported in the days before 7 July 2021.
What was the state of Belarus's relations with its neighbours on 7 July 2021? Two disputes reported on 2 July set the backdrop.
On 2 July, Belarus closed its border with Ukraine. President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that arms were being smuggled into the country in an attempt by "outside powers" to overthrow his regime, saying they had crossed the line and could not be forgiven. Ukraine denied the claims and said that closing the border would make its people suffer.
The same day, Lithuania declared a state of emergency amid an increase in undocumented migrants crossing from Belarus. The Government of Lithuania accused Lukashenko of deliberately trying to destabilise the country by encouraging and allowing migrants, mostly Syrians, to cross the border.
The two episodes placed Belarus in dispute with Ukraine and Lithuania at once, with Kyiv rejecting the accusation of arms smuggling and Vilnius blaming Minsk for the migrant flows.
