Relationship dossier
Lithuania
Poland
Relationship assessment
Strategic cooperation on security and energy, alongside recurring disputes over minority rights
Lithuania toward Poland
+60The Lithuanian government has pursued strategic and security cooperation with Poland, including joint military frameworks and cross-border energy connections. Lithuania and Poland have also coordinated support for Ukraine. Disagreements over the rights of Lithuania’s Polish minority have periodically complicated the relationship.
Poland toward Lithuania
+60The Polish government has pursued strategic and security cooperation with Lithuania, including joint military frameworks and cross-border energy connections. Poland and Lithuania have also coordinated support for Ukraine. Polish concerns about the rights of the Polish minority in Lithuania have periodically complicated bilateral ties.
Overall relationship
+60The relationship is anchored in strategic and security cooperation, reinforced by joint military frameworks and electricity and gas connections. Shared concerns about regional security have sustained close coordination, while disputes over the Polish minority in Lithuania have remained a recurring source of friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Lithuania and Poland maintain a substantial strategic partnership, with cooperation on regional security, military affairs and cross-border energy infrastructure. Both countries have supported Ukraine and coordinate within NATO and the European Union. Bilateral relations have also faced recurring disputes over the rights of the Polish minority in Lithuania, including language and education issues, though these have not displaced broader cooperation.
Areas of tension
- Disputes over Polish-language education and language rights in Lithuania
- Polish concerns about the treatment of Lithuania’s Polish minority
Key developments
Lithuania and Poland established a joint military framework that includes the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade.
The LitPol Link electricity interconnector began connecting the Lithuanian and Polish power systems.
The GIPL gas pipeline established a direct connection between the Lithuanian and Polish gas systems.
Major uncertainties
- The current implementation and scope of bilateral minority-rights arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing bilateral military cooperation beyond established joint frameworks is unclear.