Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – As US President Donald Trump once again threatened to annex Greenland from Denmark, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys expressed solidarity with European ally.

“As regards Greenland, the answer is very clear and consistent – no change, not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow. […] Lithuania stands in full solidarity with Denmark, our dear ally, and we believe that any issue that arises must be addressed within the framework of international law and in the allied spirit,” Budrys said at a press conference on Monday.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who is visiting Lithuania on Monday, stressed at the press conference that Greenland is part of Denmark.

He said that if a decision needs to be made to enhance Greenland’s defence, then this would be discussed with NATO partners.

After a raid in Venezuela on 3 January, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to stand drug trafficking charges in the United States, President Trump reiterated threats against Greenland. He said in an interview to The Atlantic that the United States “need Greenland, absolutely”.

Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – As the United States attacked Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro to stand trial on drug trafficking charges, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys hopes that the US will follow international law in regards of Venezuela. The comments came at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul who is visiting Lithuania on Monday.

“Lithuania has not recognised the Maduro regime as legitimate since 2019. We witnessed repressions committed against the Venezuelan people, we witnessed international organised crime being committed, the damage done to regional stability, security, including that of the USA,” Budrys said.

The head of Lithuania’s diplomacy stressed that, looking ahead, international law should be followed. He expressed hope that a democratic transition would happen as peacefully and as safely as possible. He said that a change of a repressive regime is an opportunity to return stability, peace and dignified life for the Venezuelan people.

According to the foreign minister, the US operation in Venezuela cannot and should not be compared to Russia’s war against Ukraine. He said that the legitimately elected government of Ukraine did not pose any threat to neighbours but became the target of Russia’s large-scale military invasion. Moreover, he noted that Russia has constantly violated international and humanitarian law since the invasion.

In turn, German Foreign Minister Wadephul stated that a decisions on the future of Venezuela must be taken democratically and the USA should follow the principles of international law.

He said that what the Maduro regime did was criminal as he was not a legitimate president.

Moreover, the German foreign minister pointed out that more than 8 million people left Venezuela in the last decade alone and this proves that the government did not lead Venezuela on the path of success.

Mr Wadephul reiterated that a solution is needed whereby Venezuelans would decide the future of their country in a democratic way.

Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė met German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Vilnius on Monday for talks on bilateral ties, regional security and strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, her office said.

“The active strategic partnership between Lithuania and Germany is particularly important in strengthening our common security and defence, and the smooth reception of the German brigade in Lithuania is one of this Government’s key priorities,” Ruginienė said. “We are working at full capacity to implement it, and some of the work is even ahead of schedule.”

During the meeting, Wadephul reiterated a pledge made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a visit last May, saying: “Lithuania’s security is our security. The protection of Vilnius is the protection of Berlin.”

Ruginienė and Wadephul also discussed the regional security situation amid Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine and international efforts to achieve a sustainable and just peace.

Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – Following US President Donald Trump’s renewed claim on Greenland, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said the territory remains an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark. 

“Greenland is an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is a strong democracy and a trusted NATO ally. All arising issues are the matter of transatlantic security,” Budrys said in a post on X Monday. 

“Respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty is fundamental to global stability. All decisions regarding Greenland or Denmark are only for the them to make,” the minister emphasised.

While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington on Sunday, Trump reiterated the goal to annex the autonomous Danish territory, AFP reported.

“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said in response to a reporter's question.

“We will worry about Greenland in about two months (...) let us talk about Greenland in 20 days,” he said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday called on Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally”.

Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – The Lithuanian Government has held a primary placement auction of additional contributions of its securities at the public company Nasdaq Vilnius, with the average accepted yield of 2.684%.

The state borrowed EUR 240 million for a period of two years and seven months, the stock exchange said Monday. The Government Securities are set to be redeemed on 5 August 2028.

The total volume of competitive and non-competitive bids on Monday stood at around EUR 358.25 million.

Riga, January 5 (LETA-ELTA) - Information obtained by the Latvian State Police does not currently indicate that the ship in the port of Liepaja is connected with the damage of an optical cable in the Baltic Sea.

The State Police informed LETA that the police last night completed their work on the ship, which was initially suspected of possible damage to the cable in the Baltic Sea.

During the criminal proceedings, police officers inspected the vessel and the anchor, examined technical equipment and logs, and questioned several persons. The crew of the vessel cooperated with the police by voluntarily providing all the necessary information for the investigation, the police said.

At present, the information obtained in the criminal proceedings does not suggest that the vessel in question was involved in the damage to the fibre-optic cable. At the same time, the criminal investigation is continuing, including the circumstances under which the cable was damaged, the State Police said.

The police did not comment on the case any further.

As reported, an optical cable Palanga (šventoji)-Liepaja was damaged in the Baltic Sea near Liepaja last week, the State Police has opened criminal proceedings and allegedly had identified a suspect vessel.

Consumers in Latvia and Lithuania have not been affected by the damage to the communication cable.

Information about the damage to a fibre-optic cable belonging to a private company was received from Lithuania. The incident occurred in Latvian territorial waters on 2 January.

According to the initial information by the Coast Guard Service of the National Armed Forces, the suspected vessel had moved over an inactive cable and then changed course towards the active, now damaged, cable.

According to publicly available information, the Palanga (Šventoji)-Liepaja cable has been in operation since 1995 and is owned by Arelion, a telecommunications operator owned by Polhem Infra, a Swedish pension fund. The company also owns the cable connecting Šventoji to the Swedish island of Gotland, which was damaged in spring 2025.

It has also been reported that the Finnish telecommunications company Elisa also detected damage to the cable on the morning of 31 December and reported it to the Finnish authorities.

A Finnish border patrol vessel and a helicopter detected the suspect vessel in the Finnish exclusive economic zone and found that the anchor of the vessel had been dropped into the sea.

The Finnish border guards ordered the vessel to stop, raise the anchor and proceed to Finnish territorial waters. The vessel is currently in the port of Kantvik.

Elisa has stated that its customers in neither Finland nor Estonia have suffered any disruption of communications due to the damaged cable.

In the early hours of 26 January, LVRTC’s subsea fibre-optic cable in the Baltic Sea was damaged in the Ventspils-Gotland section. The cable was damaged in Swedish economic waters about 130 kilometres off the Latvian coast.

The Swedish authorities arrested the Vezhen, a ship sailing under the Maltese flag and owned by Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgares, on suspicions of sabotaging the fibre-optic cable in the Baltic Sea. Navigation Maritime Bulgares has denied involvement in intentional sabotage, and the vessel was later released.

It has been established that a combination of weather conditions and deficiencies in equipment and seamanship contributed to the cable break," Senior Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said at the time.

Repairing the subsea cable cost nearly EUR 500,000 to its owner, the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC), LETA was told at the company.

Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – Real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate, part of Invalda INVL, will open a second Talent Garden Vilnius coworking space in the building historically known as both Pramogų bankas and the Pergalė cinema. Refurbishment works on the building, located on A. Stulginskio Street in the capital, will start in January, and the space will open to tenants at the end of 2026, Invalda INVL said in a press release on Monday

“The success of the first Talent Garden Vilnius space, launched in 2020, encouraged us to look for a location for expansion as early as the beginning of 2022. After an extensive search, we decided that we could not find a better option than the former Pergalė cinema. The decision was driven by the excellent location, non-standard interior spaces with 7-metre high ceilings, and the building’s unique history and architecture,” says Vytautas Bakšinskas, real estate fund manager at INVL Asset Management, which manages INVL Baltic Real Estate.

According to him, the building’s redesign began immediately after its acquisition in 2023, with solutions developed in collaboration with architects for more than two years.

“We have managed not only to preserve the valuable features of the building with respect but also to design workspaces that meet modern requirements. By renewing and illuminating the façades, we will revitalise this well-known building,” adds Bakšinskas.

Focus on heritage and modernity

During the major refurbishment, both the interior and exterior of the building will be thoroughly renewed. Additional windows are planned for the side façades, and in the mansard, standard skylights will be replaced with panoramic ones. The tiled roof covering will be replaced with copper sheet metal, and the façades, as well as all engineering systems, will be updated.

The coworking space will occupy the entire building, whose usable area after the refurbishment will reach 3,500 sq. m. Clients will be offered 325 workstations, most of which will be located in private offices for 4–8 people; a total of 48 premium-class private offices will be built.

The new space will stand out for its rich infrastructure. It will include 20 meeting rooms, an impressive 300 sq. m kitchen, numerous dedicated areas for calls, lounge and games rooms, a reading room, and other spaces designed for collaboration and work.

“Since its establishment, Talent Garden Vilnius has become a platform for international companies entering the Lithuanian market. These organisations highly value employee well-being, operational efficiency, and infrastructure quality. We have successfully met these requirements and created an environment that meets the highest standards. The new Talent Garden will raise the bar even higher – we are ready to offer more flexible and innovative solutions for fast-growing businesses and start-ups,” says Artūras Bulota, Partner and Head of marketing at Talent Garden Vilnius.

The authors of the building’s major refurbishment and heritage protection project are UAB Senojo miesto architektai, while the concept for interior spaces and design was created by architecture studio Plazma. The construction works will be carried out by a team of experienced contractors: UAB Sivysta, UAB Sumani inžinerija, UAB Elneda, and UAB Elteros projektai. Project management will be handled by UAB AZCM.

Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – A total of 355 people applied for asylum in Lithuania last year, the Migration Department said.

Most applications came from Belarusian citizens (79) and Somalis (46), followed by Russians (33), Ukrainians (25) and Iraqis (15).

Refugee status was granted to 141 people, the majority of whom were Belarusians (70.83%). Other recipients included Russians (16.67%), Afghans (4.86%), Tajiks and Turks (2.08% each), Syrians (1.39%) and citizens of Mali, Sudan and Kazakhstan (0.69% each).

The authority said asylum was denied in 188 cases, 101 applications were terminated and four applicants were granted additional protection.

Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – Difficult weather over the weekend caused flight delays at all Lithuanian airports, though no major disruptions were reported on Monday, Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) said.

“Currently, minor delays are being recorded for some flights at Vilnius Airport. Over the weekend, isolated delays occurred at all three airports,” LTOU spokeswoman Rasa Petrauskaitė told ELTA.

“The situation is being monitored continuously. No major disruptions have been reported, but if unfavourable weather persists, minor delays may continue in the near future,” she added.

LTOU said the delays were related to aircraft rotations, longer preparation procedures and other operational challenges in difficult weather. Adverse conditions across Europe could also affect flight schedules, according to the operator.

Teams are working in an enhanced mode to ensure safe and smooth operations, it added.

Forecasters said light snowfall is possible in parts of Vilnius on Monday.

Snowfall and black ice are expected in some areas across the country today. Winds will be southwesterly to southerly at 7–12 m/s, with temperatures ranging from 0 to -5 degrees Celsius inland and up to 2 degrees Celsius on the coast, the Hydrometeorological Service (LHMT) said.

Logistics company Omniva warned that heavy snowfall and difficult traffic in some regions, particularly remote areas, could delay parcel deliveries.

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Vilnius, January 5 (ELTA) – An undersea fibre-optic cable linking Lithuania and Latvia was damaged over the weekend but did not disrupt services, officials in both countries said. The cable belongs to Swedish company Arelion, Telia Lithuania said.

The cable, a key part of critical infrastructure providing internet connectivity with the Nordic countries, was stabilised, said Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre. 

“It (the cable – ELTA) is important, one of the elements of our critical infrastructure that ensures our users’ internet connection with the Nordic countries. (…) The balance was successfully restored, and our operators have assured us that there are no disruptions for our users,” he told LRT Radio on Monday morning.

The damage was recorded several kilometres off the coast near Liepaja, the country’s westernmost port city, according to NKVC spokesman Darius Buta.

Audrius Stasiulaitis, a Telia spokesperson, told ELTA that while some of the company’s services run through the affected connection, users in Lithuania did not face disruptions.

“The cable belongs to Arelion, so maintenance and communication are their responsibility,” Stasiulaitis said. “Our services also run through that cable, but we were able to reroute them through other connections.” 

The damage had no impact on Telia’s operations, he added.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina reported the incident on social media platform X on Sunday.

Arvis Zile, head of Latvia’s Crisis Management Centre, told Latvian television on Sunday that Lithuanian authorities alerted their counterparts on 3 January after detecting a possible fault. Discussions with the privately owned cable’s operator subsequently confirmed the damage, with efforts under way to determine its exact location.

The cause of the incident remains unknown, Zile said, adding that no scenarios had been ruled out. He confirmed that communications services in Latvia were not affected.