Lithuania’s FM: new US sanctions on Russia will not necessarily be applied immediately

VILNIUS - New wide-ranging sanctions against Russia recently approved by US lawmakers will not necessarily be applied immediately, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys has said, urging the European Union (EU) to increase its pressure on the aggressor.

"We still need to wait for the signature of the president of the United States, but the leverage will already be in place and can be applied both directly to Russia and to its partners, and that must be kept in mind," Budrys said in a video comment released by the Foreign Ministry.

"It (the sanctions package) will not necessarily be applied immediately, but what is important to us, especially as the country due to hold the European Union (Council) presidency (next year), is that we must work more intensively on our own sanctions packages," the Lithuanian top diplomat said on Thursday when asked by the public broadcaster LRT whether this package adopted by the US Congress was an important instrument.

According to Budrys, Lithuania and the United States share a "common understanding" that the leverage to stop the aggression and the decision to do so lie in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"And he has to make that decision,... that’s a fairly realistic assessment. I don’t see us viewing the situation differently on opposite sides of the Atlantic - we see it the same way. And we’re using the tools at our disposal to ensure that Putin makes the right decision and stops this aggression," Budrys said.

He predicted a difficult winter amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, urging Lithuania to continue providing military and civilian aid to Ukraine through the energy sector, specifically, generation and transformer capacity.

Budrys also urged the EU "not to exempt Russian oligarchs from individual sanctions" and to work on the 22nd sanctions package.

"What Lithuania is already doing now is providing Brussels with real-time lists of financial institutions and energy companies, and, when it comes to individual sanctions, expanding the list of targeted individuals. Because this works, and no one doubts it - sanctions do have an impact," the minister asserted.

He said that during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he discussed the additional leverage the US gains with its new sanctions, "bearing in mind that Putin’s behavior has been driven by fear" of economic "pain."

"I am convinced that the flexibility shown by Russia in recent weeks to engage in talks, or rather, to once again imitate negotiations, was linked to the potential consequences and possible (US) decisions," Budrys noted.

US lawmakers approved broad new sanctions on Wednesday designed to squeeze Russia over its war in Ukraine, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump after months of delay.

Following the US Congress's decision, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated the United States imposing fresh sanctions on Russia would complicate efforts to broker peace with Ukraine.