Research report BELARUS AND THE BALTIC STATES: REPERCUSSIONS OF THE LINGERING POLITICAL CRISIS Pavel Slunkin, Artyom Shraibman, Hanna Hubarava June 2021 The political crisis in Belarus is not yet over. Its continuation risks turning the country into a source of constant challenges for the Baltic states and the EU, as shown by the Ryanair flight incident. A return to the pre-crisis state of relations is impossible without resolution of the Belarusian crisis. New factors have appeared, including non­recognition of Lukashenka’s legitimacy and Vilnius's hosting of Tsikhanouskaya. Although economic relations have shown resistance to negative political impulses, in the long run the ongoing crisis will inevitably lead to more serious economic repercussions. 1