The European Union on Wednesday condemned Belarus for "unacceptable" incursions of meteorological balloons into Lithuanian airspace.

"The EU strongly condemns Belarus' persistent and provocative actions against the EU and its member states which are unacceptable," the European Council said in a statement, adding that their continued incursions contradict previous declarations by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko seeking to improve relations with the bloc.

The balloons have disrupted hundreds of flights and caused "substantial" losses to Lithuanian airports, which the European Council said risks destabilizing the country. It alleged that the balloons are an attempt to "intimidate" the European country.

While smugglers are thought to use balloons to transport illegal cigarettes in

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