Lithuanian govt backs proposal to allow national economic sanctions on Russia, Belarus

VILNIUS - The Lithuanian government has approved a proposal to amend the law to allow national economic sanctions to be imposed on Russia and Belarus.

The Cabinet on Wednesday endorsed a draft law prepared by the Foreign Ministry. The legislation must still be approved by the par Seimas.

"Sanctions remain a key instrument of the European Union's foreign policy in response to Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine, but extending them is never an easy process - it presents all sorts of challenges," Deputy Foreign Minister Gabija Grigaite-Daugirde told the Cabinet while presenting the bill.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure sanctions stay in place at the EU level, but we must also be ready for all potential scenarios," she added.

The bill would authorize the Lithuanian government to impose two types of sanctions: asset freezes and sectoral restrictions.

In both cases, the lists of sanctioned individuals and companies would be drawn up by the Cabinet.

"These restrictive measures would only be used in exceptional circumstances, as a last resort, if the EU suspended sanctions on Russia and Belarus, or if member states failed to reach agreement on extending them," the Foreign Ministry said.

Vilnius wants other EU members bordering Russia or Belarus to adopt similar national measures in such a case. This would prevent goods from those countries from entering the bloc by land and increase trade costs.

"Lithuania must be ready to act together with the other Baltic states, because Estonia has also given its government broad powers to adopt such decisions and Latvia's government can do the same," Grigaite-Daugirde said.

EU sanctions must be extended by unanimous agreement, but this time there are concerns Hungary might veto the move.

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 the Kremlin's economic sectors and companies.

These sanctions target both individuals and Russia's economic sectors and businesses.