Lithuanian PM urges people not to be swayed by Russia's Western sanctions propaganda

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has urged people not to be swayed by Russian propaganda about the alleged damage caused by the existing Western sanctions to the West itself.

"We feel and see that the Kremlin's propaganda is trying to construct a narrative, saying that, look, the West has imposed a lot of different sanctions and, as a result, Western countries are facing many economic challenges. It's very important for us not to fall for the propaganda hook here," the prime minister told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.

"It is very clear what the aim of this is: to put pressure and to try to evade further sanctions, and maybe somehow to stop and soften these sanctions. Because of the cost of the war, the cost of the invasion started three months ago, and that is the main reason," Simonyte added.

The EU is now debating a sixth package of sanctions for Russia, and the new sanctions would include a ban on imports of Russian oil. The talks, however, are stalling due to opposition from Hungary as it says it will not support the embargo because of its major dependence on these resources.