Sanctions on Russia shouldn't cripple Lithuania's economy - parliament speaker

VILNIUS - As business representatives and government officials discuss ways to better control the export of dual-use goods to third countries and prevent them from ending up in Russia, Saulius Skvernelis, speaker of the Seimas and leader of the Democrats "For Lithuania", said on Tuesday that economic sanctions on Russia must be effective but should not place a disproportionate burden on Lithuania.

"When it comes to sanctions, we need to ensure they are effective and actually work, but that Lithuania - our businesses and economy - does not bear the full brunt alone. We should not stand out from other countries and cripple our economy in this way," Skvernelis told reporters.

"Even our own defense funding depends on how the country's economy and businesses perform and develop. Exports are one of the main criteria showing how our economy is doing," he added.

Skvernelis said the previous government's decisions to restrict such exports are illogical and have to be revised.

President Gitanas Nauseda on Monday called for an urgent review of the previous government's decision to prohibit the export of thousands of dual-use goods by air to all but ten third countries.

The Economy and Innovation Ministry is also proposing an urgent relaxation of the restrictions, which were approved by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte's Cabinet in early December.

Economy and Innovation Minister Lukas Savickas said after meeting with business representatives last week that an agreement had been reached to adjust the export restrictions.

The minister emphasized that the restrictions should not harm exporters of high-value-added products while ensuring compliance with sanctions.

He noted that the restrictions could cost businesses around 250 million euros in annual revenue, with the high-tech sector being the hardest hit by the ban.