Today, the Lithuanian commercial TV station LNK claimed that Lithuania’s Foreign Minister’s resignation letter will land on the President Grybauskaite’s desk tomorrow, 20 January.

According to the report, the Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius who is scheduled to meet the President tomorrow will bring the letter.  Presidential Spokesperson Linas Balsys said to BNS, “In response to the prime minister’s request, the president will meet him to discuss the political situation in the country, the ruling coalition’s issue and the issue of Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas”.

The Prime Minister said to the Public Radio today that Usackas should work harder to regain the President’s trust.  He said, “Any minister has to have both the president’s and the prime minister’s trust. If this trust is lacking – speaking of the president’s trust with regards to specific ministers – we all are certainly prepared to spare no effort to restore this trust, and this should first of all be the responsibility of the minister.”

President Grybauskaite had issued a few public statements criticising Minister Usackas on various issues.  Recently the President stated that Mr Usackas has never had her backing.  The president said on 13 January “I have never publicly said he had my support.”

Usackas said to the Lietuvos rytas TV station yesterday that he is prepared to speak to the President at any time of her convenience and is very keen to learn the reasons behind her mistrust towards him.  The minister said that he did not have a tête-à-tête conversation with the president since September 2009.  When the journalist doubted if the minister, who is a career diplomat, should remain at the ministry at all, since he does not have Grybauskaite’s trust Usackas reluctantly mentioned that he might enter the job market.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Usackas was seen as one of the likely candidate in the last Presidential race.  The commentators on the other hand doubted if he could succeed, since he had no political backing in Lithuania having been working abroad for a decade.  Nevertheless, if he would resign Usackas could start preparing for the next Presidential race already.