The EU proposed new restrictions against Belarus for supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine. This package of sanctions is long-awaited, as it should close all loopholes for Alexander Lukashenko.
Earlier, when sanctions were imposed, Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin found ways to get around them, but not now. Franak Vyachorka, adviser to Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, told Channel 24 about this.
There will be no more loopholes
Yes, at first Russia was subject to import sanctions. At the same time, Belarus adopted restrictions on exports. They found a way to get around these sanctions: Putin bought products and imported them through Belarus, while Lukashenka exported them through the aggressor country.
Now the European Union has promised that this loophole will no longer exist . Sanctions will be synchronized, the Belarusian opposition leader said.
He also expressed hope that the regime of the self-proclaimed Belarusian leader would take appropriate sanctions and he:
- stop any participation in the war against Ukraine and support for Russia;
- stop terror against the Belarusian people;
- withdrawn Russian troops from the territory of Belarus.
Vyachorka noted that sanctions against Belarus must be strong and without loopholes for them to work. In addition, it is necessary that the EU adopt them as soon as possible.
Sanctions will hit Lukashenka's pocket
The EU sanctions primarily concern the military-industrial complex of Belarus and state-owned enterprises. The restrictions should cut off the sources of finance supported by the Lukashenka regime. To a lesser extent, they will affect ordinary Belarusians.
The system of the Belarusian economy is different from the Russian one. For example, Lukashenka directly receives dividends from the trade in oil products, fertilizers, metalworking and woodworking products. These sectors of the economy in Belarus directly finance Lukashenka's apparatus and Belarus' participation in the war. – said the Belarusian oppositionist.
At the same time, the military-industrial complex of Belarus is under the personal control of Lukashenka or his inner circle. According to Vyachorka, it is necessary not only to add them to the sanctions list, but also to consider the possibility of secondary sanctions. That is, to limit the conclusion of agreements between third world countries with these companies.
New sanctions against Belarus: what is known
The European Union is preparing new sanctions against Belarus. They proposed measures that would bring Belarus into many of the packages of sanctions that the EU had previously imposed on Russia.
Yes, the EU proposed the following measures:
- prohibition of the export of dual-use goods and technologies that are used for military purposes and can strengthen the industrial potential of the country;
- sanctions on oil, coal, steel products and gold;
- trade restrictions on luxury goods , investments and certain services;
- measures that could hit the aviation and energy sectors and the country's key sources of income.
Proposals include an exemption for medicines, agricultural and food products , as well as benefits for relevant financial transactions involving sanctioned persons. In addition, the legislation will allow the EU to prosecute anyone who helps to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Belarusian individuals and legal entities.
