One country cannot ensure effective implementation of sanctions, Lithuanian Parliament Speaker Saulius Skvernelis says, as the Foreign Ministry proposes national sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
“If we want to achieve a goal, we need regional solutions for a wider circle of countries to apply them to make it more effective. One country cannot ensure effective implementation,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“Let’s take our time for now, let’s wait and see if there will be other solutions, not regional, but common, and a lot will depend on how things continue to develop here, both today in Istanbul and in the future,” he said.
The talks, scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul, are expected to be the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022.
The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday registered amendments on the possibility of introducing national economic sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
Lithuania is taking such a step in case Europe fails to extend its own measures in the summer.
Vilnius wants other EU member states bordering Russia and Belarus to follow suit, so that goods from these countries cannot enter the EU by land.
The EU sanctions are extended by common agreement, but this time there are fears of a possible Hungarian veto.
The EU has adopted 17 sanctions packages against Russia since February 24, 2022, when Moscow launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions target both specific individuals and Russian economic sectors and companies.
No sanctions alone
Lithuania would not introduce sanctions against Russia alone but only with regional partners, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas commented.
“Lithuania will certainly not impose unilateral national sanctions unless there is a broad consensus in the region because such a decision by Lithuania alone would not bring any benefit, but would only do harm,” the prime minister told reporters on Thursday.
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