The recent meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko is yet another proof that Belarus is dependent on Moscow, Lithuanian president believes, adding that he expects quick decisions on sectoral sanctions for Minsk.
Putin and Lukashenko enjoyed a boat trip near Sochi on Saturday, a second day of official talks in which Russia confirmed it would extend a second installment of the 1.5-billion-dollar loan to Minsk agreed on last year. Belarus has already received 500 million US dollars from Moscow and is set to get more by the end of June, according to media reports.
“This only clearly shows once again how much Belarus depends on Russia and how many ties it has, and even if the Belarusian dictator sometime speaks about defending independence or about independence in some area, we should not be fooled by this,” President Gitanas Nausėda told reporters on Monday. “We need to understand very clearly that this state is dependent on Russia in all respects and we should not have the slightest illusion about that.”
He said that European countries must use “all possible civilised means” to prevent Belarus from actions like the hijacking of the Vilnius-bound plane in order to arrest an opposition activist.
Decisions on sectoral sanctions for Belarus can be expected soon, the Lithuanian leader said.
“I would like to express my delight over the swift and determined decision the European Council made some time ago when it responded, practically over the course of 40 hours, to what happened in Belarus. I do believe this determination and very clear understanding of the threat has gone through the whole EU institutional hierarchy. Therefore, decision can be expected shortly,” the Lithuanian leader said.
On May 23, a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius changed course just before crossing into Lithuanian airspace and was diverted to Minsk. Belarusian opposition activist, blogger and founder of the Nexta information channel Roman Protasevich was detained after the plane landed in Minsk, alongside his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, a Russian citizen and student of the Vilnius-based European Humanities University.
In response to this incident, EU leaders banned Belarusian airlines from flying into the block and urged EU airlines to avoid the Belarusian airspace. The EU is also considering sectoral sanctions to step up pressure on Belarus.
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