The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is initiating changes in legislation that would allow for the imposition of economic sanctions against Russia and Belarus, even without the agreement of the European Union.
According to The Baltic Times, Lithuania believes measures are needed if Hungary blocks the extension of pan-European sanctions in July 2025. Therefore, the Lithuanian authorities want to reserve the right to block the import of goods and restrict trade independently.
Asta Skaisgirytė, the Lithuanian president's aide on foreign policy, emphasized that Poland, the Baltic states, Finland, and other Nordic countries could join possible "regional sanctions."
,,-Ideally, the goal should be to extend EU sanctions against Moscow – a move that has been successful despite Hungary's reservations, she stated.
As the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys noted, an important step would be to create a regional agreement between countries bordering Russia and Belarus to block the import of goods into the European Union through land crossings.
,,-It would be good to reach at least a regional agreement…, Budrys said in an interview with the BNS news agency.
The latest package of European sanctions against Belarus was adopted on March 27, 2025. It included 25 individuals and seven legal entities. However, the extension of the national sanctions law in Lithuania on April 17 did not pass without discussion: the parliament rejected a proposal from the conservatives to equate sanctions for the Belarusians with those for the Russians.
Nadzeya Volnaya, MV / belsat.eu
