The European Union ambassadors have approved new sanctions against Belarus, introducing new restrictions on dual-use goods and aviation parts, and more sanctions against persons involved in the war in Ukraine.
This was confirmed by Lithuanian Ambassador to the EU Arnoldas Pranckevičius.
“We have just approved Belarus sanctions package (dual use battlefield and aviation goods, individual listings, written procedure starts now) and prolonged Russia individual sanctions (around 1,800 individuals and entities) for another six months,” he wrote on Twitter.
These are the first sanctions against Belarus after a break of about a year. Their final adoption is expected in the coming days.
"The sanctions should cover dual-use goods, high technology and aviation. We expect them to be the same or very close to what we have with Russia in these areas,” Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Jovita Neliupšienė told LRT.lt.
“Belarus is involved in Russian aggression, we have a further deterioration of the human rights situation, and Belarusian territory continues to be used to circumvent sanctions,” she added.
The EU countries have been discussing the need to align sanctions on Russia and Belarus since the beginning of 2023. However, some countries are proposing to include exemptions for the transit of Belarusian fertiliser, which Lithuania opposes.
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