The EU will tighten sanctions against Belarus to close a loophole that allowed Moscow to import luxury cars and other Western goods banned by the sanctions.
The EU has already imposed several packages of sanctions against the regime of dictator Alexander Lukashenko, but the restrictions against Belarus were weaker than those against Russia. This allowed the Kremlin to use Belarus as a loophole for the supply of Western goods that could be used for warfare, as well as the import of luxury goods.
The new restrictions being discussed by EU member states aim to ” minimize the risk of circumvention” of the sanctions. The measures would ban exports to and through Belarus of technology and goods that could have military applications, as well as liquefied natural gas.
The EU will also stop importing diamonds from Belarus. Such a ban was recently imposed on stones of Russian origin. The sanctions also aim to stop the flow of luxury cars to Russia. Under the current system, automakers can still sell high-end cars to Belarus, but not to Russia.
“People in Lukashenko’s entourage who had ties with Russia were big beneficiaries of this. They were enriching themselves… We also know that this is how luxury goods get to Russia – through Belarus,” said Vytis Yurkonis, project director of the Freedom House think tank.
