OP-ED

Vladimir Socor: Belarus a blip, Russia looms large on Macron’s Baltic visit (Part 1)

By Vladimir Socor.

Published Oct. 1, 2020. Updated Oct. 1 at 12:42 am

French President Emmanuel Macron takes off his face mask before addressing a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, Lithuania on September 28, 2020. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Photo by AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouska in Lithuania turned out to be even less than a side-show: a half-hour private meeting, without a joint public appearance (BNS, Agence France Presse, September 28, 29). Instead, Russia loomed large on Macron’s agenda for his two-day visit to Lithuania.